Survival of the Fittest
by gar-a-ash2
Summary: A female hunter has been captured and experimented on, searching for a cure. A male hunter, common but dangerous, taken from his pack and forced into captivity. Now, they must try to survive, forced to rely on each other to try to escape. HunterxHunter
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is my first story on this account, but not the first story I have ever written. My other account is gar-a-ash (duh, since I'm gar-a-ash2), and I have a few Naruto fanfics that I have written there. However, none of those stories will be completed, so I decided to make a new account.**

**Anyways, this story was heavily inspired by the story A Hunter Captured, by someone whose name I can't remember. However, it is a brilliant story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Left 4 Dead. Some elements of this story are very similar to the other story, but most of the ideas are going to pretty much be my own. I'm just borrowing a few things, such as the experimentation, and probably some elements of the room design. I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to steal, because I'm not. The ideas are hers/his, and I am only using elements of them for my own use. If they want me to change my story, I will, but otherwise, this is staying.**

**This isn't my first L4D fic, but it's the first one I'm putting up online. This is more of an introduction, since it's shorter than what I usually write out my chapters to be. It's only six pages. My chapters are normally ten pages long.**

**Hope you enjoy it! Please review and tell me what you think!**

I waited in the bright- _brightbright, too bright!_- room, moaning, head held in my talons. Weeks ago, the unsick- _prey_- creatures had caught me, throwing me in here, doing horrible nasty stuff to me. My strong legs, able to carry me great distances, were chained, bound too-tight, ankles connected to a metal collar around my neck. My sharp, rending claws were locked together, barely able to move. My mouth was muzzled, too-tight, the metal cutting deep into the flesh on my face. My coverings had been removed long ago, leaving me cold and blind. _Brightbright too bright! Toobrighttoobrighttoobright!_

Another howl of agony worked its way up my throat, building, condensing, finally erupting in a deafening shriek that should have had the unsick creatures cowering, running away. Instead, they made those amusement sounds, sounding similar to longtongues, with the coughcoughwheeze breathing. They laughed at my agony, my suffering. I couldn't understand them. They had caught me, so why weren't they eating me? Why were they torturing me?

A slam of a door- _nononononono not again, please not again!-_ had the unsick creatures quieting, standing up straight, shouting a greeting to the new arrival. She barked back, irritated, and one stepped back a bit, his fear smell filling the room. I clamped down hard on the whimpers trying to leave my throat, the howls of fear. They would only make the female laugh, as they have before. It wouldn't keep her from hurting me. Nothing I did could.

'_Has anything changed?'_

_'No. She's just been sitting there, like she normally does.'_

_'I didn't mean that, you idiot! She's obviously chained where she can't move! Has her heartbeat changed, anything like that? THAT'S what I want to know!'_

I flinched at the yell, though they were too busy with each other to notice it.

_'Um, no ma'am, nothing's changed. Still the same, ugly creature she was yesterday.'_

_'And I had so much hope for the last formula, too. Since the female genes seem more responsive than male, I thought that the vaccine would work on her before her male counterparts….. Guess not. Any luck on finding me a male of the Hunter variant?'_

_"Finding them's not the problem: catching them is. We've been finding a lot of the males, but the fucking things run in packs, so getting one alone is a challenge.'_

_'I don't care if they fly airplanes, I want a male. Maybe since the female variant is so rare, the disease is a lot stronger in them than the males. Besides, it'll be interesting to see how the two sexes interact with each other.'_

The hand motion had me cringing, imagining a sharpstabbing thing in her hand. No, please don't hurt me…

_'Uh, ma'am? Won't they be chained?'_

_'Not for much longer. The muscles begin to atrophy if kept still for too long. No, the general has been working on building a room for me to keep them in. He has his lackeys working on it.'_

_'Will it hold them?'_

_'We'll find out, now won't we?'_

She turned to me, apparently done growling to her packmate. She leaned close, peering at me, and I forced myself to growl instead of whimper. It was difficult.

_'Anyways, I want another spinal tap done on her. I ran out of the last batch of spinal fluid to experiment on.'_

_'Want me to anesthetize her?'_

_'And waste the medicine? No, just give her the paralyzer. As long as she doesn't move, we're fine. Besides, most of the infected don't feel pain anyways.'_

_'Most?'_

_'How am I supposed to know if the Hunter variant feels pain or not? It doesn't matter anyways, she's not human. Now give her the injection and get her strapped to the table. I'll be back in a few minutes with the needles.'_

I fell silent as she left the room, my own fear-stench permeating the room at the familiar pattern of growls that led to me being hurt. It was so strong, I was surprised the unsick creatures couldn't smell it. I almost choked on it myself.

_'That injection ready?'_

_'Right here, sir.'_

_'What are you waiting for, then? Stick the pig!'_

A weaker unsick one held the sharpstabbing thing, looking uncertain, then walked forward to me, hesitantly placing on hand on my leg to keep me steady. I could smell the familiar bite of the slowdeath, the poison that kept me from moving, and panicked, thrashing around. The unsick one yelped and pulled quickly away, and I snarled to keep him back. Don't come near me, don't-_ don't don't, please don't, it hurts hurts the pain, not the pain, stop the pain, fight kill defend kill kill kill no don't hurt, please don't hurt, no NO!_

The leader of the pack grabbed the sharpstabbing thing from his weaker packmember, growling at him before stabbing me in the leg himself. I yowled as I felt the burning liquid enter my body, spreading through my veins like fire, killing my body as it traveled. The first part to die was the leg it had been injected into, becoming a dead weight that I could feel but couldn't move. It spread through my body quickly, and within moments, I was killed, unable to move but able to feel. Why did I have to still be able to feel?

'_That's how you get it done, private. She's tied, she can't do anything to hurt you. Now get her chained to the table, face-down. Spread her legs like a whore, secure her ankles to the table tightly. Don't want any energy to enter those legs, now do we? Good God, look at the amount of muscle she has. Hate to be kicked by that, don't you agree? Break you right in half. Is she tied good? Excellent. Now get ready to watch the show. See, she can't move when the needle goes in, but she can still make some sounds. She can also move a little of her face too, and her eyes are another thing to watch. Creepy as all hell, but it's fun to watch her look around for an escape. Sometimes, if the doctor hits a nerve, we'll even get a twitch in a hand. Perfectly safe, and entertaining to watch. Ah, hello doctor! Got her all tied down.'_

_'I'm sure you did. How much did you give her?'_

_'Enough to keep her down for fifteen minutes, maybe. You know how her body burns it off.'_

_'Do you have another injection ready?'_

_'Course we do! Have another three ready, just in case.'_

_'Good. Now be quiet, I have to concentrate.'_

Drool escaped my mouth, with me unable to swallow it and keep it from dripping onto the table. I wanted to flinch at the sudden cold liquid on my back, swabbing a spot on my spine, but I was only able to raise the pitch of my exhale, whimpering slightly. My eyes were unfocused, blind in the bright light- _brightbright, too bright!-_, but that didn't keep me from trying to find a way out of my prison. I was desperate. When I was first caught, I wouldn't have allowed even the slightest bit of weakness to show. Now, I whimpered without shame, howled my fear and pain, waiting for the day they finally stopped torturing me and decided to kill me.

I cried louder at the sight of the giant sharpstabbing thing that I knew would be put in my spine, crying for help, in whatever form it could come. But I knew it was hopeless, and I closed my eyes in preparation for the pain, even though it wouldn't help. Nothing helped.

_Nononono, please no, stop, I won't hunt you, I'm sorry, no more pain, no more, I'm done, I'm sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry-AHHHHH! PAINPAINPAINPAINPAIN! STOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPIT! AHHHHHH PAIN HURT DEFEND CAN'T DEFEND PAIN STOP AHHHHHH STOP PAIN PAIN PAIN STOP PLEASE STOP I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY STOP STOP STOP IT STOP IT PLEASE AHHHHHH PAIN STOP PAIN KILL ME! KILLMEKILLMEKILLME! STOP!_

I tried to scream in agony, but the muscles around my throat were dead too, only allowing me to make a continuous whine, quieter than what it should have been. My body should have been flailing, but it was motionless. I was forced to keep the pain in my mind, echoing and growing, building until nothing existed in my mind except the memory of pain, only it wasn't a memory, it was real, and it was killing me. Only it wasn't killing me, I was still alive, I wished I was dead. Dead. Let me be dead after this. Let me die.

An eternity later, the giant sharpstabbing thing was pulled out of my back. It didn't matter anymore, though. My mind was numb with pain, as my body was numb.

_'Alright, I'm done here. Chain her back up again and return her back to her room. The cell should be up in a few days.'_

_'Yes ma'am. Same thing next week?'_

_'Of course. We've been doing spinal taps every week for the past six weeks, haven't we? What makes you think we're just going to change suddenly?'_

_'Just making sure, doctor. Alright, get her tied up again before the drug wears off, and get her back to her room. And somebody give her some water, we don't want to have to catch another one, do we? Females are hard to find.'_

_'Yes sir'_

My strong legs were forced together again, chained tootight, the back of my collar tugging as my ankles were attached to my neck again. As my head was forced around for the muzzle, strings of drool remained attached to my face, making the unsick ones make the amusement sounds again. I didn't care. I just wanted to sleep the pain away. I just wanted to sleep and not wake up, ever again. Just let me sleep.

Restrained once more, I was picked up and carried back to the toobright room, thrown down in the center of the cold, hard floor, dropped. One dumped cold water on me, and I wanted to lick it up, I was so thirsty, but I was still paralyzed, and could only moan as it ran away from me, into a drain in the floor. Again making the amusement sounds, the unsick creatures left the toobright room, leaving me alone.

My body still dead, I cried to myself, shivering as the water dried from my skin.

~X~

_The predator's head lifted, sniffing the air, interpreting all scents. His lips slid back from his teeth, baring them in a sadistic grin as he smelled the food. His pack had chased him off for killing the leader, instead of following him as they should have, and he had sat here, waiting for them to come back. He had killed the leader. Yes, he was a runt-killer, and yes, the leader had already been injured, but he had still killed him! He, the smallest of his pack, had killed the strongest! It was only a matter of time before his pack came crawling up to him, licking his face as they asked for forgiveness, bringing him food in apology. And then he would be leader! He would lead his own pack!_

_The foodsmell moved, and his eyes followed the source of the scent, seeing everything in the dark night. It was an unsick-prey-creature, something unusual for around here. Still, it would taste much better than the stupid sick ones he had been eating. And it would be easier to kill._

_He shifted slightly before lightly jumping to a new branch, closer to his prey. He smelled no other predators around, nothing to steal his food. He and his prey were alone. Good._

_Hissing slightly, he slid down the bark of the tall tree, climbing down until he reached the ground, then crawling stealthily through the brush as he tracked his food. His target was completely unaware. Perfect._

_Settling into a crouch, he waited for his food to walk into his jump path. His claws kneaded the ground impatiently, he had to force himself to not growl and alert his prey. No, he was hunting alone, so he had to be silent. He had to be sneaky, and he had to kill it brutally. Then he could bring the food to his old pack, and they would have to accept him as leader. He would kill an unsick one, and would allow them to take a few bites off of it. They would have to follow him then._

_His prey stepped right into the path of his jump, and the predator bared his teeth in a grin before sounding his kill-shriek, leaping through the air in a perfect arc, a millisecond away from tackling his target to the ground and ripping him to shreds._

_He didn't know what happened. One moment, his claws were just a short distance away from sinking into soft flesh, the next his body was coursing with electricity, causing him to scream and twist in agony. More unsick-prey-creatures poured from their hiding places, throwing ropes around him and binding him while he couldn't attack. He hissed and spat at them, screaming in defiance, inwardly panicking. Where had they all come from? He hadn't smelled even the faintest trace of any others!_

_Once his body was wrapped so tightly he couldn't move, the electricity shut off, allowing him to regain control of his body. He screamed and tried to attack, but his legs had been tied to his neck with a cord, and when he tried to jump, he ended up almost breaking his own neck._

_He yowled and tried to twist his way out of the ropes, and one of the unsick-prey-creatures suddenly flashed a bright light directly into his eyes, blinding him and causing him to scream in agony. The toobright light stabbed into his brain, and he closed his eyes in an attempt to protect them. While his eyes were closed, a muzzle was hurriedly shoved over his head, fastened tootight over his mouth. Then, bound as tightly as he possibly could be, three of the unsick-prey-creatures picked him up and carried him into one of their loud-metal-beasts, throwing him harshly into the back and locking him in there._

_Still blind, he didn't see his old pack watching him as he was thrown in, hidden safely in the shadows of the tree branches. He didn't see as they grinned at him, laughing at his pain. Instead, all he was aware of was the shouting voices, the bumping and growling of the metal surrounding him, and the searing agony his body was in from the combination of the lights, the ropes constricting his body painfully, and the remnants of the electricity still playing with his nerves._

_And he was aware of the smell of fear that surrounded him, his own, and the smell of other sick creatures before him. Yes, he could smell their fear quite well._


	2. Before the Storm

Two days. It had been two days since the last excruciating torture, two days of sickness and exhaustion. Nothing was done to me for those two days, allowing me to heal and rest. Water was given more regularly when I started vomiting, and I was grateful to my captors for it. I hated myself for having to feel grateful, but I was. For the first time, my thirst was slaked, my throat smooth, my tongue moist. I was still only given shreds of sick flesh for food, but I could survive on that. It didn't taste very good, but I could survive.

Did I really want to?

At the moment, I lay as curled up as I possibly could. Not that I could move much. My head was tucked down slightly, throat rasping against the pressure of the metal collar. My arms were curled against my chest, trying to conserve as much warmth as I possibly could. My legs, however, were horribly contorted. My upper and lower legs, slightly shortened by the disease that had taken over my body, were bound tightly together, preventing them from unfolding. The body of my foot was slightly lengthened, to allow me to walk on all fours, and my ankles were chained tightly to the collar on my neck, bowing my back backwards in an attempt to relieve the pressure. I almost looked like I was hog-tied in reverse, except my arms were still partially free, just enough to allow me to drag my body across the floor to where the water was. It was a miserable existence, but it was one I had to live with.

_Quiet. Sleep, maybe? No. Can't sleep. Not safe. Never safe. Tired. Tired, but can't sleep. Can never sleep. They come, hurt. 'tkillhurtpaincan'tkill. Can't kill. Can't sleep. Hurt. Pain._

A whimper escapes my throat as my body twitches in memory of the pain, the memory still existing in my bones.

_Thirsty. Where water? Over there. Too far. Too tired. Always tired. Want sleep. Never sleep. Never safe. Can't sleep, can't kill. Waterwaterwater. So far. Too far. Little sleep? Yes. Not much. Safe for now. Quiet. Sleep little…_

_No! Can't sleep! Notsafenotsafenotsafe! Can't sleep. Never sleep. Never kill. Thirsty. Tired… Always tired. Always thirsty. Never safe. Never safe. Pain._

_Sound? New sound? Yes. New. Not good. New bad. Very bad. Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me. Tired. Too tired. Never sleep. Too tired. Don't come here. Please don't hurt me, don't touch me. Pleasepleaseplease. So tired…_

The door to my room slammed open, unsick creatures with lightning sticks coming inside. I whimpered and cringed away, trying to drag myself away from them, chains dragging loudly across the floor.

_Nononono please, please. Please don't hurt me, don't hurt me, please please. Don't hurt me. I won't hunt, won't kill. I'm sorry. Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry. Please don't touch me, don't hurt me, don't kill me. Hurtpainscreamhurt. Tired. So tired… Please don't hurt me._

The unsick ones laughed and reached forward as I tried to crawl away, whimpering in fear. They grabbed the chain that connected my ankles to my neck and yanked it harshly, dragging me across the smooth floor, choking me, hurting me. The sharp metal edges bit into my skin, almost cutting through but not quite. My whimpers were cut off with my air supply, and I choked and wheezed, gasping for breath. They released me, laughing louder, kicking me in the ribs while I tried to breathe again.

_Nononono don't hurt, please don't hurt. I'm sorrysorrysorry. Pain, it hurts, hurts. Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry. Please. Pleasepleaseplease. I'm sorry._

Finished with their game, they picked me up, one holding my shoulders, another grabbing my bound legs. Six others kept their lightning sticks pointed at me as I was carried out of the room, walking down the halls. I was slightly surprised when they passed the spot they normally turned into, but that surprise was replaced by a thrum of fear. What were they going to do to me now?

In a short distance, they turned into another hallway, stopping at the end, dropping me on the ground. I could smell others, including the female that hurt me the most, and was unable to keep from urinating in terror. The unsick ones shouted and jumped away from me, some laughing, others growling in disgust. One kicked me and was sharply reprimanded by the female.

_Pleasepleaseplease. I'm sorry, don't hurt me, don'thurtmedon'thurtme. No 'tkillme. Don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please._

A door opened, a warm draft of air blowing softly out, and I looked with fearful eyes into the dim lighting. It was still bright, but I could see a little. Not like the toobright room I had been in.

At a growl from the female, the soldiers picked me up and carried me inside, placing me on the center of the floor and standing there for a second. Then, one inhaled shakily and knelt over me, hands reaching toward my neck.

_NONONONONO. Please don't hurt me, don't hurt me, don't touch me, painhurtscreampain. Don't kill me, don'tkillmedon'tkillmedon'tkillme- NONONONONONONONONONONO! DON'T HURT ME! ! DON'T KILL ME, DON'T HURT ME, PLEASE, I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY! DON'T HURT ME!_

I closed my eyes, howl building up in my throat, building, gathering, pressurizing. More gathered around me, towering over me, looming. Fingers at my neck, my legs, my arm, my face. _Don'tkillmedon'tkillmedon'tkillme-_

Just as I was about to scream and try to twist away, the pressure holding my body together released suddenly, and I exploded.

Screeching, my legs gathered underneath me and I flew upwards, catching an unsick one and carrying him with me for a ways but not caring. He fell off me about ten feet up anyways, and I flew above him, still screaming, still trying to get away. Underneath me, the unsick ones scrambled to get out, stumbling over themselves, but I ignored them in favor of trying to climb upwards, pushing off the walls in the circular room, going up as far as I could. Within moments, I reached the top, and I clung, claws digging into a mesh, dangling from the ceiling, seventy feet in the air and watching underneath me. The unsick ones were finally out, door slamming shut behind them, and I remained where I was, feeling safe for the first time in a long time.

Then, electricity suddenly pushed me off the mesh ceiling, burning me, causing me to scream and fall towards the hard ground. I was barely able to catch myself before I collided, landing on all fours, collecting all my downward momentum and preparing to reverse it the other way. Then, pushing out all my fear and rage, I leaped upwards, leaping everywhere, slamming into walls, trying to find a way out.

Concrete cracked slightly as I collided with it, and one panel of reflective stuff creaked dangerously as I bounced off it. I leaped around the room, screeching, traveling up and down, staying away from the ceiling, not caring where I was going as long as I was finally moving. I ran and jumped, trying to escape the memories of the abuse until finally, hours later, I collapsed on the floor, a heap of exhausted, cold, trembling muscle. The circular walls surrounding me bore claw marks impressed into them, chunks of concrete littering the floor. It was in this gray, upright tunnel that I lay, tired but unable to sleep. I wasn't safe. I was never safe.

Finally, another few hours later, I stood, shaky, on all four legs. Smelling the familiar tang of water, I stumbled my way to the bowl on the other side of the room, legs threatening to cave underneath me. I was able to make it across the twenty-foot distance, an easy leap, and drank as much as I could, lapping it up messily. To my delight, the bowl never emptied, water constantly flowing in. Maybe now I wouldn't be thirsty again?

Feeling sated, strength starting to return to my unused muscles, I looked around me, sniffing.

The room was devoid of any but the faintest of smells, the strongest being my own. It must have been new, then. Otherwise, I would have been able to pick up something else, even if it was the nose-burning stuff that erased other smells. But it was blank, like chemicals and rocks, the smell of the concrete. Nothing more. I was the first in this room. That was bad. I had no idea if the room meant danger or not.

Exhaustion crashed heavily upon me, and I knew I would not be able to fight sleep any more. It had been easy enough when I had been bound, since the discomfort kept me awake, but now that I was free, to an extent, it was impossible to resist the urge to curl up on the floor and close my eyes.

I needed a nest. I couldn't sleep without a nest.

Whimpering, I began crawling around the room, scooping up the fragments of concrete I had knocked loose before and bringing them over to a spot next to the wall, piling them. It wasn't much, but when I curled up into the sharp pebbles, the feeling of having something underneath me besides floor was comforting. It was an uncomfortable nest, not really a nest at all, but at least I could move my cheek on the floor and feel something move underneath it, even if it was just dust and stone.

Looking up one last time to watch the door on the other side of the room, I allowed my head to drop, my eyes to close in sleep. I needed sleep. I was tired. Very, very tired.

~X~

_The predator snarled furiously as the metal beast bounced again, throwing him across the floor of its stomach. His head collided painfully with the wall, and he renewed his efforts to break the ties that bound him, with little success. He had been stuck in this thing for days, his internal clock told him. Days without water or food. Days without moving. Days without leaping and sinking his claws into warm flesh, feeling blood spray against his skin, the hot smell filling his lungs. Days without being able to be what he was._

_He snarled again, growl rumbling in his chest and causing the muzzle to vibrate against his face. He was going to kill the unsick-prey-creatures. Yes, he was going to kill them, tear them apart, rip their internals out from their bodies while they screamed. He was going to chase them down, smelling their fear-scent, tackle them to the ground, smash their skulls. He was going to kill them. He was going to kill them all._

_The metal-beast slowed down and paused for a moment, the unsick-prey-creatures growling to each other, then continued, only going slower this time. He could hear more of them outside his metal cage, all around. There were many of them, as far as he could tell. He could hear an entire herd from where he was, pressed against the metal floor. He was outnumbered, in a world where he should outnumber them._

_He felt the tiniest bit of worry work its way into his mind._

_Shouting voices sounded on the other side of the thin metal, and he snarled ferociously at them. There was a lull in the voices but no more at his threat, and his anger smoldered. Why didn't they fear him? They should be running away, not standing still and ignoring him!_

'So what's up with this one? Another Smoker?'__

'Nope. We managed to catch the doctor her Hunter, finally. Almost killed Johnny, but we got the motherfucker just in time.'

'Got it tied?'

'Course we do. All bound up, just like the bitch we brought in two months ago. Tied the legs this time, though. Didn't forget about them this time.'

'Yeah, last time she almost managed to jump the wall again even with her legs tied together. Alright, if you feel it's secure, bring it to the decontamination chamber. Needs a bath, I can smell the fucking thing from here.'

'Yes sir. Alright, clear the gates! Infected coming in, keep civilians and in-immunes clear!'

_The predator snarled as the metal beast rumbled to life again, lurching forward once more. He slid to the back with the motion, growling all the way. He was going to kill these creatures. Every last one of them. He was going to tear them apart, separate their limbs from their bodies, devour their hearts. They were going to die._

_This time, the beast rumbled for only a short distance before it stopped again, voices shouting around him, artificial light filtering in through the slot in the door. He hissed and closed his eyes, pulling away from the brightness. He would begin to go blind if kept in this lighting for too long._

_Around him, many hissing noises erupted, banging sounds, the vocalizations of an unnatural world. Sharp, chemical smells stung his nose, causing him to screech again and try to bury his nose in his coverings. He only ended up choking himself with the motion, the collar pressed tight against his throat, and he snarled furiously as he was forced to breathe in the sharp air. The unsick-creatures were going to die._

_One of them stood just outside the door to the metal-beast, and he growled angrily at it, threatening it. The chemicals prevented him from smelling if it was male or female, but from the heavy steps it was taking, he assumed it was male. Females tended to place their feet lighter._

_There was a short intake of breath, and the unsick-creature pulled open the door, letting in blinding, searing light, forcing the predator to snap his eyes as shut as he could, shrieking with the pain. Sounds approached him, the male climbing up next to him, and he contorted his body in an attempt to get away, managing to throw himself against the walls of the metal-beast. There was a dry sound of amusement, and the unsick-creature grabbed the chain that bound his ankles to his neck, dragging him across the smooth metal floor, down the drop onto harsh concrete._

_His body slammed down onto the rock, driving the breath out his lungs for a moment, then he began snarling anew, thrashing, desperate to get away. More of the unsick-creatures were approaching him, grabbing the bindings that immobilized his body, picking him up by them and carrying him through the toobright room. He hissed and howled, writhing, trying to get loose, but his efforts were useless. Strong hands held him immobile, and a sharp pinprick was felt in his thigh, causing him to thrash once more. The unsick-creatures pulled back, and he wondered at the strange burning sensation that was filling his leg._

_Within a moment, he could feel himself start to go numb, and he screamed in terror, trying to escape whatever was killing him. His thrashing brought him down to the floor, falling the height from the tall table. Even though he couldn't move his legs, and was swiftly losing feeling in the rest of his body, he could feel every bit of pain the fall brought._

_He had to fight to keep a whimper of fear from escaping. There was no way he was showing fear in front of his captors. Even though he felt his death was imminent, he was not going to show fear._

_Once his body was completely numb, he could hear the unsick-creatures approach him once more, and he tried to snarl, but the only sound that escaped his throat was a low, watery hiss. The unsick-creatures ignored him and picked him up once again, undoing his bindings and laying him flat on the table. Water suddenly sprayed from seemingly nowhere, only it wasn't water, it stung when it made contact with any scratches, and it soaked him completely. The liquid halted for a moment, and his coverings were suddenly ripped forcefully from his body._

_He wanted to wail at the loss, but his throat muscles couldn't make the sound, and all he could do was wheeze, saliva filling his mouth and spilling over. Once all of his coverings were removed, the liquid turned back on again, removing every last bit of dirt and blood, removing the smell that identified him, told of his prowess as a hunter._

_Sharp bristles began scraping against him, scratching his skin further, until no trace of filth covered his skin, and he was clean. More sharp things were driven into his skin, into the crease of his elbow, pulling blood out. His eyes were forced open, making him want to scream, a bright light shining in as one of the unsick-creatures peered at him closely, muttering to itself. His jaws were forced open, his teeth inspected, tongue poked and prodded. Skin was torn from his legs, from the bottom of his feet. His saliva was collected, hair pulled from his scalp. Cold metal was pressed against him, tubes wrapped around him, until we was swathed in a web of machinery. The shiny things he had collected on his fingers were removed, dropped into a tray and taken away._

_The torture continued until he felt he could stand no more, then abruptly stopped._

_The unsick-creatures pulled away, removing their hands from his tender skin. His body was lifted and placed on a cold metal surface, though he could feel it was smaller. The ceiling of the container was only a short distance above him, at a height that would give him barely enough room to crouch. His head brushed one corner, his toes another, his body laying in a loose fetal position. The door to the container he was in slammed shut, a clicking sound following it, and he felt it being lifted and carried to a different spot._

_It was a long walk, but he was brought to a place where the light wasn't so bright, though still painful. He could smell dampness and fear, and the stale smell of urine._

_He wanted to lift his head at the smell. It was familiar, one of his kind, but female. It was also soaked in the stench of fear, and he tried baring his teeth to get a better smell. To his surprise, his lip twitched, and it encouraged him to keep trying to move, shifting small parts of his body at a time. A hand, a toe, a shoulder. It didn't matter what, as long as he could move again. He wasn't going to die. At least, not at that moment._

_It took an hour before he was able to fully move again, and even then his motions were clumsy and hesitant. Trying to sit up, he knocked his head against the metal ceiling, sending waves of pain radiating through him. Hissing to himself, he forced his eyes open, squinting painfully, looking around. From what he could see, he was alone in a concrete hallway, with a door barely a few steps away from the front bars of his cage. There didn't seem to be any of the unsick-creatures around him, and he took advantage of being alone by trying to force the bars of the cage apart._

_He growled in frustration when they didn't budge. The metal bars were half as thick as his wrist, and many times stronger. He wouldn't be able to break it._

_Grumbling to himself, he settled down and curled up, naked body shivering with the chill air. Something was bound to happen that would give him a chance to escape. Until then, he could wait._

~X~

My head lifted as I heard the unsick-creatures outside the door to the upright-tunnel, but when they didn't enter, I allowed my head to drop again. My eyelids were heavy, but I was too tense to close them again. I had slept enough for now. _So tired…._

Whimper-growling to myself, I watched the door, sniffing for any smells that signified danger. The panel of reflective stuff above me echoed with unsick-creature voices, but since I couldn't see or smell anything, I ignored the sounds. Whenever I heard the female's, though, I couldn't repress the shudder of fear that trembled through my body. I hated her. I hated her, yet I was terrified of her.

I dropped the growl in my tone and settled with just a whimper, curling up tighter. I knew I wasn't a hunter anymore. I was a prey-creature now. I would be played with, and then they would kill me. But I still missed the sweet-stench of blood spilling on grass, rotting in my coverings. I missed the taste of still-warm flesh in my mouth, sliding down my throat, fighting with my brothers and sisters for the morsels. I missed the feeling of my sharp talons tearing through skin, meeting bone, pinning to the ground. I missed leaping great distances through night air, cold breeze bringing scents to my sensitive nose. But most of all I missed the empty space, my pack around me, hunting together, fighting together, eating together, and sleeping together. I missed my single sister, and my many brothers. I missed everything.

Whimpers building in intensity, I lifted my head and wailed my loss, shrill cry echoing through the concrete tunnel and radiating around me. I was slightly comforted by the sounds still ringing around me, even though it was my own voice. If I closed my eyes and tried not to smell, I could pretend. I could pretend I was in a cold place, my pack answering my call, telling me where the kill was. I could pretend that they might be coming to help me. I could pretend that I wasn't alone.

My head snapped up, my eyes opening in shock, as I realized that one of those calls wasn't an echo of mine. Another one of me, male from the pitch, screamed from outside the door, answering me. I froze for a moment, then twisted to my feet and screeched back, backing towards the far wall. No, they couldn't let him in. He wasn't pack, and he was male. He would kill me. I was too weak to be able to defend myself. If he attacked, like he would, I would only end up dying under his claws.

I whimpered once more as his scream answered me. Was this how they were finally going to kill me? Watch me be torn apart by another one of my own kind?

Even as I thought that, I could hear the unsick-creatures approaching the door, and the male's furious snarls. I heard each individual step, from eight separate creatures, lining up around the source of the screams. The male's voice turned to snarls and screams of fury, and I flinched as I heard his body colliding with something. He sounded much larger than me. It wouldn't even be a fair contest. From the sound of the collision, his body held almost twice as much mass as mine.

My whimpers turned to a continuous whine as I heard the sound of metal scraping stone, as whatever he was in was dragged forward. I began pacing, eyes searching upward for any sort of escape as the clang of metal colliding with metal echoed through the door. I gave one testing leap, easily jumping to the top, but was only electrocuted again when I touched the mesh. Half-howling, I landed on all fours again, watching the door closely. From the sound, the unsick-creatures were making a few more adjustments, metal scraping against metal, harsh sounds similar to my own screams. The male continued to snarl and scream, the sounds of claws striking metal sounding, and I flinched again as I leaped upward slightly in fear. It was too easy to imagine those claws slicing through my stomach or throat.

Finally, the unsick-creatures began yelling to each other again, voices holding a tone of expectancy. Behind the reflective panel, I could hear yet more, including the gut-wrenching voice of the female.

I had to fight the urge to vomit. Not that I had much of anything in my stomach anyways. Anything I had eaten in the past few weeks had gone towards healing my body. And since I didn't have the appetite to eat more than I needed to stay alive, I was weak. I was regretting that now.

My eyes glanced toward the food container, considering it, but I turned away. It wouldn't do anything now but put weight in my stomach, weight that would fight against me when I needed to twist and jump. Eating now would be of no help. It was too late for that.

One more final scrape of metal, and all was ominously still, too quiet. I could hear my heart beating, fast and fluttery as a bird's, and even hear the steady thumpthumpthump of the male's heart, faint through the metal yet strong. My breathing began to match the strong beat, swift and deep, anticipating the fight. At least I would die fighting, instead of cowering against a wall. I would die with fangs in my throat, instead of a lightning stick held against my head. I would die as a predator.

With a sudden, splitting shriek, the bottom half of the door lifted away, revealing darkness behind it. Even my sensitive eyes couldn't penetrate the gloom, and I tensed, hissing softly, waiting. My legs were building energy to leap high above me, to avoid the first initial lunge that he would make. Maybe I could take advantage of the shocking mesh and lead him into it, enough to cripple him. Maybe I could win.

A low, deep growl emerged from the darkness, and eyes suddenly flashed, milky-white as my own. They glanced around briefly before locking on me, growl deepening in pitch. I bared my teeth in response, though my fear rolled off in clouds. I could hear him sniff, smelling, and I knew my display wasn't fooling him. He knew I was afraid. And he knew I was weak. Still, though, I forced myself to growl back, hunching down even further into a threat.

His growl paused, briefly, before suddenly snapping into an all-out snarl, and I could hear his body shift as he prepared to jump. I hid the whimper in my voice and waited, listening, looking, smelling. As soon as he made his move, I would make mine.

Faster than I could have anticipated, he exploded outward, and I could hear his back claws catching on rough edges as he propelled himself forward.

Before I could prepare myself, Death collided with me, snarling as his massive weight knocked me to the ground.

~X~

**A/N: Hahahaha, a cliff-hanger! I'm so evil, eh?**

**But anyways, be sure to tell me what you think, and feel free to ask questions and such. Also, I have no idea just where I'm going with this story, just a basic idea, so feel free to give suggestions and the like. I don't bite, I promise. Though I can't say anything for our little Hunters here.**

**Alright, I'm off! See ya' later!**

**~Gar**


	3. Lightning Strike

_The predator opened his eyes in the gloom, anticipating a bright light that didn't exist. Instead, he opened his eyes to a circular room, dim in lighting, a short leap across. He couldn't see the ceiling from where he was, but he could hear the female's growl echoing high up. It was a large space, though not as large as he would have liked for a fight._

_His eyes snapped to the female, who waited for him to make the first move. Her thin body was hunched over, building energy to avoid him if he attacked. He wanted to snort at the foolishness. She was almost half his size, and from the looks of it, starving. He was healthy and strong. It would be a fast fight._

_She sounded a growl, and her defiance surprised him. Even though he could smell the fear rolling off her in great clouds, she still was able to threaten him? Well, he would show her how smart it was to submit to those stronger._

_Easily shifting his weight, he crouched lightly, preparing to spring. He could hear the unsick-creatures all around him, but they were the lesser of his concerns. They did not have fangs and sharp, rending claws. The female before him did. He had to be cautious of the female._

_Back claws finding a small amount of roughness, he braced himself against it, feeling the energy gather in his strong legs. It boiled, contracted, expanded, and shrunk again, building, gathering, until no more energy could be stored, and he would be able to leap his farthest. He didn't need distance this time, though. He only needed to be fast, fast enough where the female could not avoid him. From the shaking of her limbs, he wouldn't need much._

_It was best to be safe, though._

_Baring his teeth, he issued his kill-screech before releasing all his energy into one jump, like a tightly-bound spring finally being released. He was on her before she could even see him, and he screamed in satisfaction as he saw his claws tear through her naked skin, feeling her hot blood spray against his arms. She squealed as his weight bowled her over, and in a careless moment, he forgot her legs, already gathering energy for a jump, now positioned perfectly over his vulnerable stomach._

_Screeching her own kill-scream, her clawed toes tore against him, biting deep into the soft flesh and spilling blood over her, the force throwing him off her and into the opposite wall. He collided harshly with the concrete and slid down, screaming in agony. As he tried to roll to his feet, her small, yet forceful weight knocked him back into the ground, smashing his skull against the stone floor._

_His vision blacked over, and he heard himself snarl from a distance, dimly feeling her weight being shaken off him and thrown a small distance away. Sight slowly coming back, he stumbled around to face her, blood raining from his lacerated skin, seeing her crouch on the other side of the small space, snarling. He hesitated before returning the gesture, shocked at her ferocity. The females he had known were always docile, always submitting before a male. Then again, judging from her different shape to her legs, he guessed she was from a different area, one where maybe the females weren't so weak._

_He staggered as he felt a loop of intestine slip through one of the gashes in the stomach. A small miscalculation, and he was already finished. A few moments ago, he had been the stronger one. Had there been a larger space, the case might have been a bit different, but he could not change what was done._

_A whimper escaped his throat, and the female stopped her growl, lifting her head to look at him. As his haunches sank slowly to the ground, she dropped her defensive posture, backing quickly away from him and hissing, staying as far from him as she possibly could. His arms gave out, and she screeched, a call tainted with the edge of victory._

_His vision hazed over in red. He was not losing to a female._

_He struggled to regain his feet, hissing, blood bubbling in his throat. Across the circular room, the female tensed and hissed back, baring her short fangs._

_Just as he managed to get one clawed hand underneath him, a click sounded from above, followed by a sudden hum. Both looked up instantly, snarling at the ceiling, and the mesh that covered it dropped, falling swiftly to the ground. The female tried to jump out of the way, leaping toward the door, but the mesh hit her anyways as it him, knocking them both to the ground under its heavy weight._

_As soon as their skin touched the metal net, power surged through them, paralyzing them in its grip, making them fall and scream. The door opened, and more of the unsick-prey-creatures poured in, somehow climbing over the electrocuting net, reaching down and grabbing the predator by his arms and pulling him out. He wanted to scream and claw, but his body was immobilized by the electricity, and all he could do was tense his muscles and scream louder._

_As soon as he was pulled from the room, skin leaving contact with the metal, the electricity stopped and his body slumped, sagging weakly toward the ground. The unsick-prey-creatures bound his limbs, placing the muzzle over his head, and dragged him down the hall, back into the toobright room where he had undergone previous torture._

_A whimper escaped as he closed his eyes, sinking into blackness._

~X~

I groaned as I rose shakily to my feet, the remnants of the electricity still making my nerves buzz. The unsick-creatures had taken away the other male, dragging him out the door, removing him from the room.

I felt a brief thrill of pride. I had defeated the male, even though he was bigger than me and I was weak. I had ripped open his middle, tore his stomach apart, and received nothing more than a few cuts on my arms and a small patch where his teeth had torn some skin off. I had won!

Grinning suddenly, I flopped back down on the ground, panting as I smelled the male's blood smeared across the floor. Closing my mouth, I bent my head down and sniffed it carefully, smelling where he had been, what he had been eating, and how healthy he was. There were many scents I didn't recognize, which made me bristle uncomfortably. If I didn't recognize his smell, then would he recognize mine after I had been locked in here for this long? How would he know to fear me, if I no longer carried the blood of my prey on me?

Growling, I tucked my shoulder down and began rolling in the puddles of his blood, grunting as I worked it into my skin. Even if I had lost all my old scents, I could begin again, with his blood. If he returned, he would remember me as the one that had torn open his stomach. I would be dominant.

Finished, I rose to all fours and padded over to my stone nest, dropping down into it and setting my head on my arms. My tongue flicked out and caught a drop of blood as it crawled down my cheek, tasting it. I had missed the taste of fresh blood. Even if it wasn't as good as unsick-prey-creature blood, it was still good.

Hearing voices behind the reflective panel, I lifted my head and hissed, baring my fangs in defiance. I snorted in pride when I heard the voices lull, and placed my head back down on my arms, closing my eyes.

It would feel good to sleep.

~X~

When I opened my eyes again, my internal clock told me it had been hours. I lifted my head, sniffing around me, hearing the voices again but ignoring them. Other than the smell of old blood, I could smell nothing than myself. Good.

I rose to my feet and padded over to the dish that contained food, even though it was sick flesh. I ate all that was in there, sniffed around a bit for more, than swallowed a few more mouthfuls of water before going back to my nest. I laid back down in it, bored. While being able to move was much better than being tied, there was still nothing to keep my predator's mind occupied. Nothing moved for me to watch, no sounds other than the quiet voices and my own breaths. The only smell was myself and the remnants of the male. It was sensory deprivation.

I lifted my head and screeched to hear the sound of my own voice, hearing it echo off the tall ceiling and smooth walls, bouncing around me. I listened to see if the male would respond, but when I heard nothing, I snorted and laid my head back down on my arms. I guess I had killed him. Oh well.

I had just closed my eyes for a second when the sound of grating metal echoed throughout the upright tunnel, making my eyes snap open again. I watched the source of the noise, a hole in the wall above my food bowl, and growled as a metal stick was poked through, something on the end of it.

I sniffed the air, smelling more of the sick flesh. It was dropped into the fixed bowl, the stick swiftly removed, and the clang of the metal door shutting echoed loudly. I remained still for a moment, waiting, but when nothing else happened, I rose to my feet and walked over to investigate.

Sure enough, more meat had been dropped into the bowls. I looked up, peering at the metal flap closely. If things could go in through it, couldn't things come out? Couldn't I escape through it?

Growling, I pushed at the sheet of metal, but it didn't budge. It was too thick for me to bend outward, and either way, it didn't look big enough for me to fit through. My shoulders seemed too wide for it.

I snarled in frustration as I turned and jumped back to my nest. I needed to leave. I needed wide open skies and space like I needed air and food. Already my legs were weakened from weeks of being trapped in a tiny space. I could feel my body begin to die, one part at a time. Soon, there wouldn't be enough to keep the rest of it alive.

I screamed again, agony and fury dual tones melding together. Anger suddenly flowing through my veins, I screamed and lashed out at the concrete walls, spraying chunks of concrete across the floor. Unable to stop, I clawed again and again, tearing at the stone, until a hole half the size of my head existed and my sharp claws were worn down to dull nubs against my skin. Then, throat tight for some unknown reason, I howled in misery, standing still for some minutes. Finally, head hanging in defeat, I dropped myself down into my nest and closed my eyes. What did it matter anymore?

~X~

_Fire in his stomach. That was the first thing he was aware of. The fire slowly burned, smoldering, touching his insides and setting them ablaze, liquid fire spreading through his veins, setting his body on fire, burning, consuming, spreading. He opened his eyes, and he was aware of blinding light, stabbing into the darkest corners of his mind, fueling the fire, turning it into a raging inferno. He screamed, but his ears were deaf, unable to hear the howl that shredded his vocal chords as it left his body._

_Hands on his skin, touching, holding, pushing, pulling. Struggle against them, too weak, pushed back. Fire in his belly, devouring, killing everything. Claw, no flesh to rip through, only harsh metal, pulling nails away from skin. Mild pain to the raging inferno. Shut eyes, seal off the light, kill the inferno, kill it, kill it._

_Blackness. Cool, moist blackness._

~X~

I snapped open my eyes, hissing, not knowing what had alarmed me but ready to fight it. In a moment, I heard the unsick-prey-creatures outside the large metal door, excited voices behind the reflective panel. Something was happening, something that involved me. Bad. Very bad.

I rose to my feet, growling in fear, looking around me, waiting. A beep, voices responding to it, and the sudden click-hum of the mesh above me.

I screeched, looking upwards, watching the metal net fall swiftly to the ground. Memory of what it had done to me last time pushed me to leaping away, searching for any sort of refuge. It was useless, though, and the strands made contact with my skin, paralyzing me with their electrocuting venom.

My body fell to the hard concrete, stiff, unyielding, and the unsick-prey-creatures poured in, forcing my legs to move into the familiar bounds, placing the harsh muzzle over my teeth, snapping my feet to my neck. Once I was fastened as I had been many times before, the electricity shut off, my body slumping, and I was carried from the upright tunnel, carrying me to the torture I knew waited for me.

The footsteps echoing down the hallway resonated in my skull, ominous, heavy, unrelenting. I didn't try to resist. I knew if I resisted, they would do even more to me, more painful things. I didn't want to hurt- _. . Don't hurt me. Don't kill me. Please._

_Please._

Again I was brought into the toobright room, set down roughly on the cold table, feeling the familiar pain as they stabbed my leg and injected me with slow-death. I could feel it spreading through my veins, sluggish and slow, killing what it touched but not.

I whimpered before it reached my lungs and throat. The sound echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls. A dry laugh escaped the throats of the unsick-creatures, sounding like the stupid wheezing sick ones, the coughcoughwheezecough.

_Whywhywhy? I'm sorry, no more. Nomorenomorenomore. Why? Don't like pain, don't like feel. Hurtpainscreampainpainpain. Whywhywhywhywhy?_

Cold liquid on my spine, wiping.

_Notagainnotagainnotagain! Don'thurtdon'thurtdon'thurt-AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! STOPITSTOPITSTOPIT! ._

My mind repeated the saying over and over again, sharp pain piercing my body, centered in my lower back. Sharp things stabbed into my skin, deep into the muscle, fluid dripping. Why-_ whywhywhywhywhywhy? Tooearlytooearlytooearly. Another two days too early two more days two more days why why why too early two more days two more days too early why why why why why two more days not fair two more days not fair not fair not fair another two more days not fair why why why not fair another two days two days two more days too early why not fair not fair not fair. Two more days, too early. Why? Whywhywhywhywhy? Two more days two more days please two more days stop it stop it stop it. Two more days why why why please two more days not now two more days not now not now not now. Two more days, always two more days, too early, two more days. Kill me kill me kill me kill me._

Finally, after an eternity, the sharp stabbing thing was removed, a square of bandages placed on my back, and I was bound again, body unresisting. I was lifted, drool following me and dripping onto the floor, and carried back through the halls to the upright tunnel. My body was numb, ringing with pain originating from my lower back, muscles dead and useless. I knew they would come back to life again, they always did, but I still hated the slow-death. What creature wouldn't hate it?

They dropped me onto the center of the cold floor, away from my nest, and I struggled to move my limbs so I could crawl to it. My fingertips twitched slightly, but that was all. I was able to move my eyes, and I stared mournfully at the small pile of rubble, yearning for it. I wanted my nest. I wanted to curl up in it and sleep the pain away.

Closing my eyes, I allowed blackness to overtake me where I was, falling into fitful sleep.

~X~

_The predator moaned when they moved him again, a sound full of pain and misery. The unsick-prey-creatures merely ignored him, grabbing him by the chains that bound his body and carrying him down the halls, grunting under his weight. Four carried him, and eight more surrounded him with their lightning sticks. He tried to growl, but the sound emerged as a wheeze. Cloth rubbed against his stomach, protecting the string that held him together now. The female's claws had dug deep through the layers of muscle and fat, and had he been smaller and weaker, she probably would have torn him in half. He realized now that he was lucky that she hadn't continued the attack. Why she didn't, he wasn't able to figure out, but he was lucky. He would have been torn to shreds._

_He flexed his fingers, mourning the loss of his claws. The unsick-prey-creatures had shorn them, filing them down to nothing. His toes had suffered the same fate, and he felt oddly defenseless without them. He still had his legs and his teeth, but his claws were the main force of his attack. He felt more helpless without his claws than he did without the coverings the unsick-prey-creatures had removed as well._

_Slow fury burned through his veins. He hated them. He hated the unsick-prey-creatures. They had captured him and brought him to this place with no pack, no laws. They had forced him in with the female, even though she was different, and it was their fault he had been injured. He hated them. He was going to tear each and every one of them to shreds, claws or not. He would wait, bide his time for now. But he was going to kill them._

_He weakly lifted his head when they turned into a darker section of halls, and he felt the wounds on his stomach burn fiercely when he recognized the same dark, damp entryway to the female's territory. Why were they bringing him here again? Did they enjoy torturing him, watching him be torn to shreds by a female half his size?_

_He tried to struggle away, but the slightest motion brought agony to his stomach, making him whimper involuntarily. The unsick-prey-creatures made their sounds of amusement and slid open the bottom half of the door, the sudden screeching echoing loudly around. Inside the upright tunnel, he heard the female hiss. The sound made him flinch, trying to get away._

_In one smooth motion, his bindings were removed and he was slid into the room, the metal flap slamming shut behind him. A howl built up in his throat as he tried to claw against it, to find a way out, but he couldn't lift his arms. The howl came out as a moan while his dull nails scrabbled against concrete._

_The female growled, and he turned his head around to look at her, contorting his body to get as close to the wall as he possibly could. She lay in the center of the room, upper half of her body propped up on her arms, head lowered, teeth bared. Her skin was stained dull red with his blood, the reek of it a clear warning._

_He whimpered submission, lowering his head and shying away from her. Her snarl faltered, as if surprised by his response, and he sneaked a glance at her form._

_He noticed the bandages around her lower back, and the way her legs seemed to not respond with the rest of her body. He saw her arms trembling with weakness, threatening to buckle under her. At the moment, she couldn't attack him. She was helpless._

_And so was he._

_He didn't know what laws her kind had followed, but with his pack, if you were defeated, you were the submissive one until you could defeat the dominant one. He was unable to fight her now, so he remained submissive, keeping his head low and cowering against the wall. Slowly, he heard her growl stop, and the curious sniffing from her direction. Apparently satisfied, she lay back down where she was, collapsing in an exhausted heap._

_He began to lift his head to look at her, but a low growl stopped him. Whimpering in apology, he ducked even lower, curling up as much as he could with the pain in his belly, keeping his face turned away. Finally, he heard her relax, and he slumped as well. There would be no fighting, at least not at the moment._

_Closing his eyes, he listened intently to the female, waiting to see if she would approach to kill him._

~X~

I watched the male as he was shoved into my tunnel, surprised at his sudden appearance. I had thought I had killed him, but from the smell of the burning stuff surrounding him, the unsick-creatures had cleaned his wounds and bandaged them.

I snarled. Couldn't they just let him die?

I was expecting him to snarl and lunge for me, but instead, shocking me, he turned away and ducked his head, whimpering for forgiveness and mercy. In my old territory, males never submitted to a female, even if they were dying. Most of the time, the females were treated as nothing more than possessions, jealously guarded and collected, thrashed if they dared utter a sound. I had been captured trying to avoid a leader male that was tracking me. Wherever this male had come from, apparently, the laws were different.

I slowly stopped my growl, uncertain. I could see him glance at me as I did so, then quickly look away again. This was unusual. The male was treating me with respect?

I sniffed for a lie in his posture, to see if he was just faking it so I would relax. But my nose brought nothing to me besides innocent fear. I waited, seeing if he would move, but he didn't.

Satisfied, I dropped back onto the floor, letting my exhausted muscles rest. This time, the sharp-stabbing-thing had done more damage than usual, and I couldn't move my legs yet. I should have been alarmed, but it wasn't the first time it had happened to me, so I knew they would eventually work again. Whatever they did to my back when they did those things, it damaged something for a while.

I heard him shifting, and I looked to see him turning his head to look at me. I growled, and he whimpered once more and turned quickly away, pressing tighter against the wall. I watched him until he settled, though I could tell he was listening to me intently, then looked over at my nest. I wanted it.

Groaning, I stumbled to my feet, pleased when I felt my legs respond, if shakily. On all fours, I stumbled my way over to the pile of rocks, collapsing once again when I reached it. I could feel the male's gaze on me when I moved, and I snarled. He yelped an apology and quickly turned away again, closing around the bandages on his stomach.

I felt as brief thrill of pride at the sight of the damage my claws had done. I had done that. I had crippled the male.

I ended my growl in a snort as I curled up tightly, shivering lightly against the cold. The male shivered more than I did, but I just watched him from across the tunnel. The room was a short leap across, but at that moment, I wish it had been larger. I was too close to this unfamiliar male who wasn't pack. He may have been injured, but so was I. It would be impossible to sleep with him this close to me, the male who had attacked me first. I felt a sudden flare of my hatred for the unsick-creatures. They had put him in here with me to begin with, then they had deliberately hurt me so I wouldn't be able to hurt him when he came back. My claws were dull from tearing at the concrete in frustration, but at least I could tell his claws were dull too. But he was still bigger than me, and while he accepted my dominance for the moment, I didn't trust it to last too long. As soon as he was healed, I knew he would attack me again.

I would have to wait and see if I needed to kill him first.

~X~

**A/N: Kind of a boring chapter, eh? Now, some of this might be a bit confusing, but, then again, the Hunters' minds are confusing, so let me explain a bit to you.**

**First thing, the Hunters do come from different areas. The female is from a southern area, probably around the Carolinas, and the male comes from a northern area, around Vermont. I've decided to give each different customs, so it'd be a bit more complicated when they interact. For instance, in the south, male Hunters round up female and basically own them, almost like stallions with their mares. Since females are so rare, it will normally be a closely-knit pack of males that gathers females, sometimes only one, and uses them whenever they want. As a result, females generally avoid males. However, in the north where the male is from, the Hunters mate for life. They normally start out as hunting partners, then, after a simple courtship ritual, they would form their own pack, most often allowing single males to join. A female becomes the center of the pack, and is normally closely guarded though they can easily take care of themselves. I know it's not really needed information, but it will help explain how they interact and why they don't understand the same body language.**

**Second thing is, the room that they're in needs a bit more description. I know they call it the upright tunnel, and that's basically what it is. It's a large, cylindrical room, twenty feet across (a short leap) and seventy-five feet high. The top of the room has a metal netting covering it that can have electricity flowing through it. This net can be raised and lowered to change the height of the ceiling, and dropped to paralyze the Hunters for easy extraction. The water dish is similar to one in a cattle barn. For those that are unfamiliar with farming, it's a small dish with a depressor on the side. When the depressor is pushed against, water flows into the dish, cutting off when the pressure is released. That way, only a little bit of water is in there at a time to prevent overspilling, and it constantly refills. There's a small, one-way metal flap in the wall above a concrete food dish, where a metal stick with meat on the end of it can be poked through. A panel of one-way glass is about twenty feet above the floor, ten feet wide and seven feet tall (the reflective panel). From here, the humans can observe the Hunters without being seen, though apparently, they can still be heard by the Hunters' sensitive ears.**

**Also, some of you may notice how the female changes in behavior throughout the chapter. After she attacks the male and defeats him, it gives her enough of a confidence boost to start thinking of them as the 'unsick-prey-creatures' again, rather than just the 'unsick-creatures'. This is actually slightly important: it shows that following the Hunter habits, such as rolling in foes' blood to show strength, gives her the confidence needed to defy them. However, she had been abused for a long time, so the spinal tap has her going right back to removing the 'prey' from her classification.**

**The confusing part about two more days is just her freaking about how the spinal tap is two days early. Normally, they were done once a week, at exactly a week. The internal clock of the Hunter would have known immediately when the spinal tap was about to happen. However, the humans had done the tap two days earlier than what they normally did, which made her panic and freak out. Nothing much, but a big change like that terrified her.**

**Wow, long note is long. But, a lot of this stuff was needed, even if it was boring. So, basically, this is kind of a filler chapter. Don't worry, it'll get a bit more exciting next chapter. Maybe. Depends on how I plan it out in my brain. But don't fret, things will be speeding up soon.**

**Reviews are highly loved! Oh, wait, I have one more thing to mention! I promised a friend of mine I would mention their story, since it hasn't been getting much attention and they want some feedback on it. Go look up GingerVitusMan on deviantArt, and their story. They would highly appreciate it, and you might be able to convince them to post it here on FanFiction!**


	4. The Clouds Gather

_Flames leaping for the sky, screams splitting the air, teeth snapping in the night. A shadow, flitting across the sky. Run away, can't see, smoke too thick. Run, feet pounding, familiar motions, pant for breath._

_Panic! Veer left, avoid threat, avoid gnashing teeth, drooling mouth. No, wrong way, try to run, avoid the horde, can't. Teeth ripping through skin. Screams. My own. Blood pouring thickly onto stone, running into drains._

_Dead. I'm dead. I'm dead, why am I breathing? Why is my heart beating? Open eyes. Light hurts, hide eyes, hide from brightlights. Hiss, air through teeth. Lift head. Smell. Scent food. Follow, run, chase. See food. Watch it run, crying. Growl, crouch. Sniff, listen. Lift head, see. Wait. Wait._

_Jump! Airborne, fall onto food, pin it to the ground, tear it to shreds. Ignore shrill screams. Not mine. Not mine this time._

_Food stopped moving. Wait, listen. Nothing. Smell, see. Nothing. Safe. Safe to eat._

_Head down, jaws snapping, grab flesh and pull. Tear from body, tear to shreds, swallow, bite for more. Fill belly. End hunger. Stop pains._

_Hide. Hide and rest. Sleep._

_Sleep._

~X~

I whimpered suddenly and snapped my head up, body shaking with the remnants of my past-dream-visions. I hadn't had those in a while. Why was I having them now?

A hesitant growl sounded, and I was reminded of the male, who lay on the other side of the room watching me carefully. His head was lifted in alarm, his body tense. I guess my dreaming had scared him somewhat. Oh well.

Mouth dry, I stood and walked over to the water dish, halfway between us. I kept a careful eye on the male as I drank and ate my fill. He did nothing except flinch when I growled at him. After filling my belly, I stood there, watching him, reminding him who was dominant. He didn't hesitate to duck down and avoid my eyes. Good.

Snorting, I turned away from him and walked back to my nest, flopping down in it to watch him. He stared at me timidly, unable to keep his gaze on me for long, then finally crawled to his feet, whining. I did nothing, and he took one hesitant step towards the food and water.

I bared my teeth and he froze, watching me from the corner of his vision. When I did nothing else, he lowered himself to his belly and slunk closer to the dishes, keeping one eye on me the entire time. I allowed him to slake his thirst and eat a few mouthfuls of food, but a sharp snarl had him scurrying back to his place against the metal door. He still could not move very well. I would still be able to defeat him if he challenged me. Not for much longer, though. Soon, within three days, he would be fully healed. Then I would have to be really careful.

Voices behind the reflected panel called both our attentions, and we simultaneously hissed and snarled. The voices paused at our threats, then continued, quieter but still there. I rose to my feet, sniffing, then bent my legs and sprang.

It was an easy distance, and I jumped onto the panel of reflective stuff, blinking curiously at it. One of the voices screamed shortly, startled, and I tried to look past the stuff to see inside. If I focused really hard, I could see dark shapes moving around. The voices were uncertain, tense. Because of me?

Feeling playful, I hissed, baring my teeth at one of the dark shapes closest to me. All the forms stumbled back except one, who remained just on the other side. I grinned wider and tapped my claws on the glass where its head would be. Silly-brave-unsick-creature.

The clanking sound of a door on the other side, and the female's voice sounded. I shrieked and jumped away, pushing off the reflective stuff, feeling it bend dangerously under my feet. I climbed up the rock walls, stopping just short of the mesh, watching underneath me. The male looked up at me, tense. He probably thought I was going to jump down and kill him. Good. Let him think that. It'll make him hesitate before attacking me in the future.

The female's voice resonated powerfully through the glass, low-pitched and even. It should have been a soothing sound, but after the months of abuse at her hands, the rich timbre brought nothing but fear. I hissed, this time in fear, listening for her. She made none of the sound patterns that signified approaching pain, in fact, didn't speak at all, so I let myself crawl back down the sides of the upright tunnel. On the opposite side of the reflective panel, I paused, looking at it once more. I could feel a cold, calculating gaze on me, and I growled, baring my fangs. There was an amused snort, then silence.

Feeling subdued, I crawled back to my nest, laying down in it and curling up tightly. I may have hated the female, but I was still smart enough to fear her. I knew what she was capable of.

~X~

_The predator watched the female as she played with the unsick-prey-creatures, wanting to snort at her foolishness but not stupid enough to do so. He knew he would have been punished for that._

_When the female suddenly shrieked and leaped away from the glass, he flinched, watching her warily. The glass bowed significantly under the force of her legs but didn't break, catching his interest for a moment but vanishing into the back of his warped mind as he watched the only other living thing in the room. The female hissed, toned with fear, at the glass, and he lifted his head to listen. There was a new voice, female and low-pitched, but that was all. What was she afraid of?_

_He felt her fear sink into his own bones, the reflex of a submissive one. If one stronger than you feared, than there was a good chance you should fear it too. His body tensed, his vision sharpened, his nostrils flared to catch more scents. Other than the female's own caution, the air was sterile, and there was nothing to scent._

_He looked up again at her, and shortly after, her milky eyes locked on to him as well. He held her gaze for a moment, just long enough to not seem disrespectful, then turned his head away. In reality, if they weren't locked in this hell, he might have chosen to court her. She was strong, fast, intelligent, and had a playful side demonstrated when she played with the unsick-prey-creatures. He hadn't seen her hunt yet, but he had a feeling she was a strong hunter, fast and deadly. Few scars marked her skin, either a sign of a protected life or of a proficient fighter. Judging from the way she had attacked him earlier, he guessed it was the latter. There were only a few scratches from his own claws on her skin. A lot of blood had sprayed, but the wound had been superficial. Maybe his loss had been completely predictable._

_It irked him to realize the female was stronger than him, but he let it go. He was a small male, he knew that. She was small, yes, but with females, the smaller ones seemed to be stronger. No, not stronger. Faster, more deadly. Less to move, less space needed to fight. Females were more savage. It wasn't too much of a disgrace to lose to one._

_He whimpered, lowering his head, and slowly crawled toward the female in her nest of stone. Her head snapped toward him, and he flinched but continued his path. It hurt him to maintain this crouched position, strings holding him together pulling against his flesh, but the posture was needed. She was oddly restless around him, overly cautious. He couldn't figure out why. He had accepted her dominance, and any threat he posed would be openly displayed. He wouldn't attack her from the back, like she seemed to think he was planning. He just didn't understand her._

_She sounded a growl, low and rumbling, and he ducked further and whimpered back. Her expression was confused but alert, and as he got within a few paces of her, she whirled to her feet, snarling furiously. He cringed and stopped moving, falling onto his belly on the floor. She continued standing over him, a confused tone in her growl, before she stepped back, growl slowly tapering off._

_He cracked open an eye, looking at her, watching her for signals. Her shoulders were hunched in a defeated posture, even though she was higher rank. Why was she so sad?_

_He whimpered again, and she merely glanced in his direction before laying on the bed of rocks, turning her back to him and ignoring him. He stayed still, puzzled, for a while, watching over her tense form to try to figure out what she was doing. She remained still, and he again rose to a crouch, sneaking forward once more._

_Her body tensed, but she allowed him to approach her, coming within a breath's span of her skin. He sniffed along her nervous form, smelling his own rotting blood combined with her unique smell. When she still didn't move, he laid down next to her, still not touching, but close enough to feel her body heat on his skin. Her muscles were quivering with the tension of staying still, and he hesitated the briefest of moments before laying his head on her shoulder, watching her from the corner of his eye._

_She flinched when his skin made contact, face twisting into a grimace of fear, but quickly masked it, becoming stiff. He whimpered once more, removing his chin from her shoulder and pressing up against her, feeling skin on skin, heat against the cold. It took a long time, but the female did eventually relax, even returning the pressure against his back slightly._

_He sighed happily, wiggling against her, squirming his way further into the bed of rocks. She was still nervous, judging from the rapid flutter of her heart, but allowed him to stay. Finally, feeling somewhat safe with a warm body pressed against him, the predator closed his eyes in sleep._

~X~

I opened my eyes when I heard the male's breaths even out in sleep, staring at the wall. His actions before had confused me greatly. I didn't understand why he had approached me in such a careful manner, like a runt begging for food, but I had allowed him to get close to me, to press his back against mine like two hunting partners. I had occasionally lain like this with my sister, before the male-pack had taken her. After that, I grew used to sleeping on my own.

I let my eyes slide shut again, a hesitant purr rumbling from my chest. I didn't know why he had wanted to lay next to me, but it felt nice. His warm body helped fight the chill of the air, and it wasn't nearly so bad with another near me.

He shifted in his sleep, making me flinch with the sudden motion. I couldn't understand why a male twice as big as me was happy with being lower rank, but he didn't seem to mind too much. I could still see how much it fought against him to submit to me, but it didn't seem to bother him nearly as much as it should have. Any male should have been trying to kill me no matter how weak he was, not accepting my dominance. But yet this male allowed me to rule him. It didn't make any sense.

I exhaled loudly in frustration, sinking further into the warmth and closing my eyes. It was too early to sleep, but a nap wouldn't be too bad. I don't think the male had slept at all the previous night, so I knew he would sleep for a long time.

Forcing myself to relax, I closed my eyes and slipped into a light doze.

~X~

**'Fascinating. Behavioral patterns similar to **_**Canis Lupus, **_**yet still retaining aspects similar to the original **_**Homo Sapiens**_** mind that they have regressed from. Look, see how he crawls on his stomach towards her? Definitely canine-like behavior. The need to touch is also similar to the pack state of mind wolves have. From what we've seen of the Hunter variant living outside, their social structure does seem to resemble that of a pack of wolves in the north. However, in the southern areas of the coast, they act more like lions with a pride. Now, why would they have completely different patterns of behavior with such a small distance between them? And what about the west? Do they act differently there? Major Greensley, any luck with contacting the Rockies?'**

**'None yet, Dr. Carter. We'll keep trying, but in all honesty…'**

**'Yes, yes, I know, chances are slim by now. We might as well consider ourselves cut off from our sibling base. Now, what was that incident earlier that Rosie keeps blathering about?'**

**'Apparently, the Hunters had heard them through the glass. The female jumped onto the glass and looked in. I've tried telling Rosie that it's impossible for the things to see through the glass, but she refuses to listen-'**

**'Actually, it is quite plausible that she could have seen through. We're keeping the lighting dim in the cell, so she might have seen through it. Now, what was that about the Hunter recognizing someone…?'**

**'Apparently, when everyone stepped back, Private John Tucker remained where he was. When the Hunter noticed him, she- and I quote- 'smiled and tapped the glass right in front of John's face, like she remembered him'. I highly doubt it's true, but everyone in the room at the time verified it.'**

**'And just what is so special about Private John Tucker?'**

**'Ma'am, you didn't know? John recognized the Hunter as soon as we brought her in. Said it was his sister. We tried telling him he was wrong, but he refuses to accept it.'**

**'And why have you neglected to tell me this, Major?'**

**'We didn't think-'**

**'Major, the day I want you military jarheads to do the thinking for me, I will be one of those mindless monsters out there. Get me a sample of Private John Tucker's blood, I want a DNA analysis done. If there's a chance that the Infected can access their memories… God, think of what that means! There's no way they'll be able to fully integrate back into life, but they'd make an efficient labor force. Soldiers, miners…. The possibilities are endless. Get me those blood samples, Major, before I have to get them myself. And get a technician to check this glass. I doubt it's pressurized at one thousand psi.'**

~X~

_The predator's head snapped up suddenly, looking around blearily for the female. She was no longer sleeping against him, and the instinct to look out for the pack was too strong to ignore, even if she was different. Within seconds, he spotted her pacing back and forth across the floor, and he relaxed. The pack was safe._

_She glanced in his direction, pausing for a moment, then continued walking back and forth, staring numbly at the ground. Her behavior didn't scare him: he would have been doing the same thing if he had been awake. There was nothing here to do._

_He stood, keeping an eye on her, and walked slowly to the food dish. Her eyes followed him, but that was all, and he buried his fangs in the chunks of sick-flesh. The female allowed him to eat his fill, and he drank until his belly sloshed pleasantly_. __

_Sitting back on his haunches, a posture that was uncomfortable for him, he examined his stomach, pulling at the strings lightly. The wound had already healed a lot, but it would still be a while before he would have full range of motion. The female's claws had bit deep, and it would take a long amount of time to heal a wound like that._

_Surprising him, the female's head suddenly pushed against his stomach, making him lean back slightly. She sniffed the wound deeply, reading it, scenting how bad it was. He watched for a moment, then whined happily and licked the back of her neck._

_She twisted away from him like he had bit her, hissing and snarling in a mixture of fury and fear. He watched her, bewildered, then whimpered, asking forgiveness for whatever he had done. Her growl slowly faltered, and she backed away from him with a wary expression on her face. He whined, hurt. What did he do?_

_Sudden clanging from the panel of shiny wall distracted them both, and they both turned to it, hissing and growling. They unconsciously moved closer to each other, seeking support in a hostile environment. They might not get along well, but they could unite against a common enemy._

_The clanging grew in intensity, alarming them, making them pant in fear. Their legs twitched, yearning for open space to jump, space to run away from the banging-clanging-slamming noise. Nostrils flared, searching for scents, ears straining to hear past the cacophony._

_The female whimpered, backing up against the wall. Her eyes were wild, and her ribs heaved with every breath, fighting terror and failing. He whined, trying to distract her from the sound, and she merely screeched before leaping upwards, jumping for the top of the upright tunnel._

_His legs surged to join her, to follow his pack, but when he jumped, his side split open in searing agony. He crashed to the ground, bleeding again, and wailed hurt and pain and fear to the female. He could see her hesitate almost at the top of the upright tunnel, glancing longingly at the top where she could avoid any threats, but she screamed in return to his calls and rejoined him on the ground. He whimpered gratefully, and she stood over his quivering form, snarling at whatever the sound was. He was grateful for her protection. His stomach was on fire, split from the strings, and he couldn't stand, let alone fight. His pack would fight for him._

_His pack would protect him._

~X~

I stood over the male as he whimpered and mewled on the ground, snarling at whatever the source of the noise was. It went against all my instincts to stay on the ground and protect him, but I forced myself not to jump away. It was like the male was a highly valued hunting partner, like the one brother I had hunted with before. I had protected him before. And he had lived, and repaid my protection by protecting me from the male-pack. Maybe if I protected the male, he wouldn't fight me when he was healed.

The clanging sounds went on for another long, tense hour, then abruptly stopped after a particularly loud crash. Unsick-creature voices sounded, low and quiet, and I hissed at whatever they were doing. The voices ignored me, and eventually faded away into nothingness.

I waited for a while longer, growling softly, then moved away from the male, dropping my protective stance. He whimpered and tried to rise to his feet, but his stomach where my claws had torn him wouldn't allow him to. I growled and wrapped my arms under his, then, panting and grunting with exertion, dragged him over to the nest, laying him down flat on his back.

He tried to curl up, but a short hiss stopped him from interrupting my view of his wounds. There were some red-stained bandages covering it, and I growled before ripping them off. Strings were imbedded in his skin, and I tugged on one loop experimentally, letting go when the male whined. Whimpering apology, I ducked my head down, sniffing at the lacerations.

They didn't smell too bad, so I just licked them clean until they stopped bleeding. The main wound was closed, but the strings had torn ragged gashes through his skin. It was easy to get them to stop bleeding, and soon, I lifted my head, staring at the male watchfully. He met my gaze for an instant, then looked away respectively, whining low in his throat.

Nervous, I leaned forward and licked his face briefly, imitating his action before. He shot me a glance, purring, then rolled onto his side, clearly interested in sleeping. I stood there a moment, puzzled on why the action felt good to do, then flopped down next to him, pressing my back against his.

_Pack._

I blinked, puzzled. What did that word mean?

~X~

_Visions of flames and screams surrounded him in his sleep, and the predator whined, kicking out slightly. When a growl responded to him sleepily, he woke up, blinking as he realized he had been dreaming. The female gave a questioning growl, and he whimpered an apology back, rolling his head back to look at her. She merely exhaled loudly, curling up tighter, going back to sleep. He watched her for a moment, then answered the orders of his rumbling stomach and rose, wincing._

_He staggered his way to the food dish, seeing it was full once again. He ate half of what was in the dish, then sat and sniffed the air, sniffing for anything. The female had recently marked the spot on the far wall, in the corner they didn't use, and he stumbled over to do the same. It was their territory. Theirs._

_The female made a sniffing sound, and he glanced back to see her watching him, a sleepy look on her face. He whined, and she dropped her head back down, returning to unconsciousness. He tilted his head at her, then sat down, still sniffing the air. There were no voices coming from behind the shiny wall, and he felt no gazes on his skin. They were alone, for once._

_They were safe._

_He felt his body immediately relax, and stumble-rolled his gait as he walked back to the female. The oddness of his paces woke her again, and she looked at him in confusion, probably wondering why he was walking oddly._

_He yipped, an invitation to play, leaning slightly away from her, ready to run at her slightest motion. She continued the odd gaze, tilting her head, then suddenly bared her teeth in a grin and snapped to her feet, crouching stiffly. They remained still for a brief moment, measuring each other, then the male turned and ran, ignoring the pain in his belly in favor for play._

_The female barked and followed him, coming close to him but making sure to stay behind him as she chased him in circles around the room. He tried leaping up, managing to hang on the wall long enough to evade her before his muscles gave out. He ignored the pain and landed on his feet, hearing the female growl as she had to change direction._

_He paused, looking over his shoulder at her, and yowled tauntingly before taking off again, hearing the female close behind._

_Surprising him, her weight suddenly bowled him over, and they became a flurry of lashing claws and snapping teeth, though neither one harmed the other. Bites were softened, claws were touches, kicks were gentle. Finally, they broke apart, gasping for breath, grinning at each other. They stood there, slowly evening out their breathing, and the predator snorted, approaching the female with his head down, non-threatening. She stiffened slightly, but allowed him to approach, hissing slightly under her breath._

_Whimpering, he tilted his head and licked under her chin, a gesture that immediately had her body relaxing. She still looked confused, something he didn't understand, but tucked her head down and returned the gesture, tongue rasping over the top of his head. He purred happily, butting his head on her shoulder, and she sounded a happy rumble back._

_Finally, she stood, apparently tired enough to go back to sleep. He followed her as she flopped into the nest of stone, and dropped down beside her, curling around her small body. She stiffened as he did so, no doubt alarmed, and he nuzzled into her neck to alleviate her fears. It took a while, but eventually she did relax. He buried his nose into her short head-fur, memorizing his leader's scent, then closed his eyes._

_Sleep would heal his wounds._

**A/N: What? Two chapters in a week? Is she sick?**

**No, but I did have some random inspiration. Yay, right?**

**Ugh, I hate boring chapters. But, I through a bit of fluff-y stuff in there for you, so hopefully that makes up for it. But don't worry, now I have things set up for next chapter, where it gets more exciting. Originally, this chapter was supposed to end as the female thought the word 'pack', but it was too short (I have a ten-page minimum), so I added the little bit of play to extend it. However, it wasn't entirely useless, because the bond between them strengthens a bit.**

**For those unfamiliar with pack behavior, I will try to explain some bits for you. In a wolf pack, bonds are reinforced through play. They use a rolling, clumsy gait to invite play as well as the well-known play-bow and yip. Most play is a sort of tag, while they do also play-fight. (holy shit, a lot of hyphens) They sleep together, mostly close together after a bout of playing. So, while this may seem odd to you, it is perfectly normal for a pack of anything to act like this, because it draws them closer together, which is good for the pack. So, they're kinda getting to know each other.**

**Now, for a little bit of other information. The one-way glass in the cell was made to withstand one thousand psi, or pounds per square inch. That means it can withstand up to one thousand pounds of pressure on one inch of surface. Now, the average ostrich kick is at two thousand psi. A human kicks at about two hundred psi. So, the glass would be able to handle a human kicking it, but not an ostrich. More than this, I will not tell you, but you should be able to figure something out. I won't ruin it.**

**Any other questions, feel free to ask! I don't bite. Much.**


	5. Lashing Winds

'**Private John Tucker, correct?'**

**'Yes ma'am.'**

**'Do you know who I am?'**

**'You're the doctor in charge of all of this, ma'am.'**

**'Stop with the 'yes ma'am' stuff, it irritates the hell out of me.'**

**'Yes ma- Uh, yes, doctor.'**

**'Good. My name is Rebekah Carter, and you were right, I am the doctor in charge of this operation. Now, do you know why you were called down here?'**

**'It's because of my sister, isn't it?'**

**'Yes, we have proved that she is your sister. Now tell me, what was her name?'**

**'Lyall. Lyall Elizabeth Tucker.'**

**'You two were close?'**

**'Yeah. We were real close. She actually saved my life once. Jumped in front of a car to push me out of the way, then proceeded to scream my ears off about how stupid I was. I think I was more scared of her than the car.'**

**'Mm-hmm, fascinating. Now, can you tell me about the situation in the observation room earlier?'**

**'Well, it was like I had told Major Greensley. The other scientists were talkin', and she and the other Hunter looked up at us, like they heard us. Everyone else got real quiet, kinda whispering to themselves, and Lyall jumped right up onto the glass. It wasn't natural. I mean, she was thirty-something feet away, and she jumped up like it was no problem. Lyall could never have done that, she'd-'**

**'Could you continue with the report, please?'**

**'Oh, sorry. Well, Lyall jumped onto the glass, and everyone got real quiet. Then she looked at me and showed her teeth, like she had done to the other Hunter earlier, and everyone jumped back like they were scared she'd go through the glass at them. I think that Rosie girl screamed, too. But I didn't move, because it was only Lyall, and her bark was always much worse than her bite. She had quite the bark, though. Burn your ears clean off with her cussin'-'**

**'Private, please continue the report.'**

**'Sorry, it's just that it's been so long. Well, I didn't move 'cause I wasn't scared of her, never was, and she smiled wider and looked right at me, right into my eyes. Her eyes used to be so pretty. An amber color, you know? Looked almost like a wolf sometimes- oh, right, sorry. But her eyes are white now, and she looked right at me, and tapped the glass like she was sayin' hello. I swear she recognized me, because she looked right at me. I mean, that can't be coincidence, can it? She couldn't have just forgotten me that easily, right?'**

**'We're still trying to prove that, Private Tucker. Now, are you willing to help us with an experiment?'**

**'What kind of experiment? It won't hurt her or nothin', will it?'**

**'No, no, we'd never dream of hurting her. We just want to put you in a room close to her, where she can see you. We want to see if she does really recognize you or not.'**

**'Aw, of course I'd be willin' to help! Anything to get Lyall back to normal! When can I start, doctor?'**

**'How about you give us a few hours? Don't worry, we'll call you down. And Private?'**

**'Yeah?'**

**'Make sure you don't put any cologne on. We want to make sure she can recognize your smell.'**

~X~

I yawned, lifting my head, feeling the male stir beside me. He had exhausted himself with the playing, and I'll admit it had tired me out slightly too. But I was in better condition at the moment, even if I was half-starved, and I couldn't sleep as much as he could. While he was healing, I was not, and my body demanded motion.

I grumbled to myself and wiggled out of his arms, crooning softly when he lifted his head to watch me. He sniffed the air sleepily and curled up where I had left, returning to sleep, and I walked to the food dish and began eating. It was odd. A day ago I wouldn't have allowed the male to come close to me. Now I had no trouble turning my back on him. Did it have to do something with the way he acted around me?

_Pack._

I snorted, hearing the word enter my mind. I still didn't know what it meant, but I felt it was what the male was. The word didn't bring any feelings of fear or distrust, rather feelings of comfort and safety. Whatever it meant, I was safe, and that meant I could trust the male.

Growling softly at a stubborn piece of tendon, I stared off into oblivion as I tried to work the piece of meat loose from the rest of the disembodied arm. My eyes caught sight of a leg, buried in the pile, and I dropped the piece in my mouth, reaching for it.

There was a small scraping sound, and I looked just in time to see a stick tipped with a sharp-stabbing thing coming through the small crack opened in the wall. I tensed my throat for a screech, trying to get my feet under me to leap away, but the thing stabbed into my arm, hitting deep and pulling away, leaving a fuzzy thing imbedded in my muscle.

I screamed and pushed away from the wall, leaping back to the male, who scrabbled to his feet at the sound of my terror. He screamed along with me, hissing as he watched me leap around the room. He leaped up to join me, but could not follow me all the way up, hanging on the wall as he called me to come down.

Remembering the feeling of safety he meant, I leaped down to join him, wailing as I felt my head begin to swim. This wasn't slowdeath. This was new, and new was bad. New was very very bad. _. Please no, please please please. Get away, no hurt, no pain, no fear. Don't hurt me don't hurt me don't hurt me. Scaredscaredscared. Helpmehelpmehelpme._

My arms could no longer hold me, and I fell the last ten feet to the ground, hearing the male screech in alarm as he jumped down beside me. It was getting increasingly harder to move, to think clearly. I tried regaining my feet and stumbled, dimly hearing the male screeching in fear, feeling him paw at my face, my arm. He hissed when he saw the fuzzy thing, grabbing it with his dull claws and yanking it out of my arm. I could barely feel the tug, feeling my eyes slowly sink shut.

A slot in the door opened, and I could see a hurting stick, and I tried to warn the male, warn him to jump away, but my throat could only produce garbled sounds. There was a soft pop, and a fuzzy thing was suddenly in the male's neck, sinking into flesh. He screamed and jumped away, twisting, trying to avoid a threat that had already hit him. Vision started fading over, and I watched him pull the fuzzy thing out of his neck, throwing it down and crushing it. But it was too late, he was already staggering, and when I closed my eyes for the last time, I saw his legs fall underneath him.

Blackness took over, and I sank into nothingness.

~X~

_Brightlights. Brightbrightbrightbright. Can't open eyes, too bright. Can't see. Can't see, toobright. Eyes hurt. Pain._

_Sniff, smell. Smell unsick-creatures. Don't smell the male. Where am I? Can't open eyes, too bright. Scared._

_Lights gone. Wait. Nothing. Open eyes, see. Unsick-creatures far away. Not safe. Where is the male? Where is the pack?_

Whimpering, I staggered to my feet, keeping a close eye on the unsick-creatures. Never before had I been able to move with them so close to me. I had always been either paralyzed or tied. This was new. New was bad. New was very bad.

'_Lyall?_'

I hissed, whirling to face the source of the sound. A young male unsick-creature sat a scant few feet from me. His posture was yearning, leaning towards me. I bared my teeth and backed away, hissing all the while.

'_Lyall, it's me, remember? It's John. Johnny, your little brother._'

I yowled when my back met something, spinning around to lash at it, jerking back in surprise when my claws met clear-wall. Now that I knew it was there, I could see more of the clear-wall around me, separating me from the unsick-creatures. That's why I was unrestrained.

Rocking back on my haunches, I sniffed the air, wondering why I could still smell. I peered closer at the clear-wall, and saw slits in it, letting air through. I could smell, but I wouldn't be able to escape through them.

The male unsick-creature cleared his throat, and I looked back in his direction, wondering why he was staying so close to me. His eyes were brown, his top-fur ash-colored. I didn't think I had ever seen him before.

'_Lyall? I…. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm your little brother. John, remember? I ran in front of a car one time, and you pushed me out of the way. That ear-blisterin' ya' gave me still reminds me to look both ways before crossin' the street. Remember how we used to play soldiers, and you were always the general? You would always come up with the craziest missions to send me on. Now that I think about it, didn't one include saving the world from zombies? Damn, look how that ended up. Do remember any of this at all, Lyall?'_

_'Keep going, she might respond.'_

I hissed at the sound of the female's voice, looking around for her. I walked backwards, moving myself as far from her as possible, seeing her familiar flame-colored hair. I hated her and feared her. She was the threat in the room. She deserved my attention.

She made an impatient sound, turning to the male unsick-creature.

'_Talk to her, will you?_'

_'Doctor, what'd ya' do to make her so afraid of you?'_

_'How am I supposed to know? Just do your job, Private.'_

I could see the female's growls set off the male. He seemed disturbed by her presence, but turned back to me. I forced myself to wrench my eyes from the female and watch him.

'_It's alright, Lyall. See, she's over there. She won't hurt you. Lyall, come on. You have to remember something about yourself. Think, try to remember. Come on, Lyall, you can do it!'_

The male's tone became desperate, scaring me. I growled low in my throat, feeling panic begin to rise in me. Too many threats, too many strange things. Bad, this was bad.

'_Hey, Lyall, everything's alright. No need to panic, you're safe. Come on, Lyall, don't you remember me?'_

I hissed when the male moved, placing his hand flat on the clear-wall that separated us. He appeared surprised at my hiss, and it encouraged me to growl, crouching aggressively. A faint trace of fear filled the air, and I flung myself at the clear-wall, snarling and yowling, trying to scare him away.

He yelled and pushed away from me, falling on the floor and scrambling away. Once he was away from me, I dropped my growl to a whimper, scared and sad. I backed away, dragging my claws, letting them scrape against the floor. My head drooped, and the male looked puzzled.

_'Lyall?'_

I looked up at the sound, tilting my head in wariness. His expression seemed awed.

_'God, Ly- Lyall, you remember me! You remember me! Lyall, you recognize me! Doc, do you see this? She remembers!'_

_'My god, I….. I can't believe it.'_

_'Well, ya' better believe it, Doctor! Holy shit, she remembers!'_

I flinched at the yell, growling again. He ducked his head, baring his teeth at me in a grin.

'_Ah, shit, I'm sorry Lyall. Guess you're not entirely right in the head. Never were, but I guess you're worse now. I didn't mean to scare ya'. Guess loud noises are a no, right?'_

I dropped my growl at the even tones of his voice, whining in despair. I was confused. The unsick-creatures were acting strangely. I couldn't even begin to predict what they were going to do to me.

_'Well, Private Tucker, I know you want to be with your sister, but I think this is getting to be a bit much for her. We'll return her to her cell, and try again tomorrow.'_

_'Do you still have that other Hunter in there?'_

_'Of course.'_

_'Do ya' think that's safe?'_

_'Private Tucker, you obviously didn't see what she did to that other Hunter. She almost tore him in half, and all she got were a few scratches in return. She can handle her own.'_

_'Well, if you say so. Alright, Lyall, I'm gonna let the doctor put you back in your room so you can get some rest. Sleep tight, alright? G'night, doctor. G'night, Lyall. We'll try again tomorrow, alright?'_

_'Private Tucker, it's time for you to leave.'_

_'Alright. Goodbye, Lyall. I love you.'_

I watched the male leave the room, and almost immediately, I felt the female's cover drop. She walked to me, scowling, and I hissed in fear at her, hunching over.

'_Get it back to the cell. I'm tired of looking at it.'_

_'Yes ma'am.'_

The female followed the male out the door, leaving me with the unsick-creatures holding the hurting-things. I whined and cringed away from them, but they just put their hands on the clear-wall and pushed it, moving it easily. I yelped with the motion, and they laughed as I tried to keep my footing.

They pushed the clear-wall through the hallways, following the familiar path that brought me back to the upright tunnel. I whimpered when I saw the door, reaching a clawed hand to it in yearning. The unsick-creatures laughed again, but it was easy to ignore them. I was going back to the place that made me feel safe.

The clear-wall was pressed tight against the metal door, and the unsick-creatures opened the bottom flap that separated me from the place I considered safe. As the metal scraped upwards, I heard the male scream a challenge, and I shrieked back, telling him my fear and confusion. The flap opened all the way, and I exploded out of the glass container door, ignoring the metal as it slammed down behind me. I leaped for my nest, needing familiarity, needing safety.

Halfway there, the male tackled me out of my leap, rolling with me. I panicked for a moment, clawing his chest, and he whimpered, rubbing his face over my shoulders and against my cheek. I forced myself to still, muscles trembling with panic as he whined and crooned, trying to get me to calm down.

Pulling back a moment to look at me, he whimpered in concern, letting me go so I could move. I immediately jumped for my nest, turning around once before laying down in it, trembling and wide-eyed. The male joined me, still making comforting noises as he curled around me, protecting me. It took a while, but eventually I was able to close my eyes, exhausted from the emotional uncertainty. The male laid his head on my shoulder, and I knew he would stay awake, keeping watch.

I needed that right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to sleep.

~X~

_When the predator had woken up and the female hadn't been near him, he had panicked. He leaped around the upright tunnel, screeching and howling, scattering the nest as if she might have been hiding underneath the small stones. Then, suddenly fearing the female's wrath if she returned and found her nest disturbed, he had gathered each stone and returned it to the pile, whimpering the entire time. After that, he had found more stones around the room, collecting them and adding to the nest. Once that was done, he organized it, putting each stone carefully on the pile, making sure it fit perfectly. When the female still hadn't returned, than he had begun true panic._

_His body was suddenly unable to keep still, and he leaped from wall to wall, slamming onto surfaces and off again, screeching the entire time. The rock cracked, the shiny wall bent, and his stomach tore slightly, though the strings had been removed while he was asleep. Finally, muscles trembling with exhaustion, he stumbled his way back to the nest and collapsed, though too high-strung to sleep. His pack was missing, and he couldn't sleep until he found out what happened to it._

_Hours passed, and finally, he heard the unsick-prey-creatures returning, and the screech of the metal flap being opened. He scrabbled to his feet and screamed a challenge at whatever was outside the door, and felt his mind lift when he heard the female's answering call. She had returned! The pack had come back!_

_The door opened all the way, and the female leaped in, eyes wild, headed for the nest. Needing to make sure she was safe, he leaped into her, tackling her out of the air, sniffing and whining and nuzzling his own fears to her. Her claws slashed at his chest, but he ignored the shallow wounds, trying to get her to calm down. The air stank of her fear, her nervousness, and he wanted it to go away._

_Finally, he pulled off, satisfied she was not harmed. She met his glance for a moment, then jumped for the nest, desperate. He followed her, curling protectively around her and placing his head on her shoulder to keep watch and make sure nothing attacked them again. It was not good for the pack to be separated._

_Keeping alert, he felt her breathing even out into sleep, and licked her cheek once before continuing to watch. The pack could not be separated again._

~X~

When I opened my eyes again, my panic and terror had left me, and my internal clock told me it should have been night. However, the lighting in the upright tunnel was the same as it always was, just dim enough to see. It didn't hurt my eyes, but it still wasn't the true blackness I preferred.

I whined. I missed outside.

The male heard me and stood, leaning over me and sniffing my face in concern. I whimper-growled and stood up, knocking him out of the way and going to the food dish. I was hungry. I was hungry, and very thirsty.

The food dish was empty when I finally reached it. I whined, wishing it had food in it, then went for the water instead, pressing my face against the lever that made water flow. There was a short hiss, then nothing.

The water was gone.

I stared stupidly at it, unable to think of what else to do. The male came over, most likely curious as to why I wasn't doing anything, and a slow whine started building in my throat.

There was no water.

My whine erupted into a scream, scaring the male and making him stumble away from me. I looked around wildly, searching for any sort of escape. Too many things had happened to me in a short amount of time, and my mind couldn't handle it. I needed to escape. If I didn't, I would break.

Screech building in intensity, I leaped backwards, twisting myself around so I landed above my nest on the walls. Searching for any weak spot, I launched myself upwards, jumping two times to make it to the mesh covering the ceiling. I grabbed it, screeching, trying to tear through it with my dull claws, and the sudden energy flowing through it knocked me off, screaming. I landed on all fours on the ground, then pushed off again, slamming into the walls.

The male followed me around as I panicked, a constant worried whine issuing from his throat. Concrete cracked where I collided with it, and one foot hit the panel of reflective wall, bending slightly.

On the opposite side of the room, I paused, narrowing my eyes at it thoughtfully. I could hear nothing behind it. There was nothing behind it that might prove a threat to me.

Screaming, I launched myself at it, the male pushing off a scant second later. I collided with it, feet first, bending my legs to push off again, and the male landed beside me as my legs flexed outward to push off.

Already bent from my legs, the wall shattered with the additional force of the male, and he stumbled to the ground, screeching in sudden shock. I remained clinging to the wall, staring at it in disbelief.

We were free.

I screamed down at the male, and he leaped up beside me, following me as I dove through the wall into a dark room. The ground was littered with sharp things, but they were easy enough to ignore. We moved forward cautiously, sniffing, listening.

There was nothing.

I clicked a need for silence at the male, and he growled an agreement, following me as I stalked through the room. There was a bend , and I peered around it cautiously, seeing if there was anything nearby.

Again, there was nothing.

Moving uncertainly, I led the way through the dark areas, avoiding places that had the faint murmur of unsick-creature voices, or that smelled like the chemicals I feared. Nothing saw us as we crawled, two shadows in a dark room.

I was uncomfortable with this. My clock told me it was night, a time when I knew most unsick-creatures were asleep, but I still didn't trust this quietness. Something was wrong.

Footsteps sounded behind us, and I hissed and ducked into a small place, hidden from view. The male crushed himself in beside me, his size working against him, and we remained quiet, waiting for the threat to pass.

The unsick-creature was making a whistling sound as he walked by, a metallic jangling accompanying his every step. He used a light-maker to see as he walked by, and the beam skated over us before continuing onward.

We waited until we couldn't hear him anymore, then crawled out, following him, hunting him. Not for food, but for freedom. This was unsick-creature territory. They knew what way to go.

The male unsick-creature paced aimlessly around the halls, looking into dark places with the light-maker, confusing me. It seemed like he was lost, but the certainty of his steps forced me to think otherwise. He was purposely wandering. Why?

I had to stifle a whine when I saw he was headed back to the room we had just left, stepping backwards until he was out of sight. He was going to see that we weren't in there, and the screaming-loud-noise would start, and all the unsick-creatures would be looking for us…

We had to leave. Now.

Nudging the male, I turned and began running, retracing our steps, veering in directions we hadn't taken before. He seemed confused, but willing to follow as I led him down a darker hallway. I set my feet down gently, making no noise on the smooth floors, skating across the surface like it was ice. The male was clumsier than me, being larger, but he too was silent. He understood that something bad was going to happen soon.

I followed the strongest smell of unsick-creatures, figuring it would lead me to the exit, and whined when my path was blocked by a door. I could tell that past the door, there were more unsick-creatures, but they didn't carry the same wary scent as the ones I was familiar with. These are the unsick-creatures that would scream and run away from us, the kind that were best to hunt, not the ones that would hurt us and try to kill us. It was safer on the other side of the door.

I whined and pushed on it experimentally, feeling it move slightly but stopped in the way all doors were. I knew the trick to opening them had something to do with the metal bit sticking out, but the rattling sound it produced scared me. It was too loud, and I didn't understand it. I knew it was the way out like I knew just how far my legs could carry me, but I couldn't get past it.

The patrolling unsick-creature's footsteps stopped near where we had escaped from, and I clamped down on a scream of fear in my throat. If I screamed, everything would be able to hear me, and we would be caught. I had to be quiet, had to be silent.

A whimper stirred the air. It took me a moment to realize it was my own.

Far down the halls, I heard the unsick-creature gasp when he would have seen the broken wall, know we had escaped. He hesitated a moment, then I heard his steps running, stumbling in panic. There was a moment of silence, then piercing screams split the air, making my head ring and driving out all thoughts.

Screaming mindlessly along with the bad-noise, I slammed into the door, desperate to tear it down and run through it. My dull claws skated off the metal, and I screamed again before slamming my shoulder into it, needing to tear it down. I could already hear more unsick-creatures coming this way, hear the _click-chak_ of their hurting things. They were going to kill us.

Responding to my panic, the male threw his weight against the door too, his legs stronger then my starved ones. The door bent inward from the force, air from the other side flowing through, and my nostrils flared as I smelt it.

Outside.

Screaming, I joined him, hearing the alarmed unsick-creature calls but ignoring them for my desperate need to get outside. My head was filled with images of dark skies, trees, tall-buildings that were perfect to leap from, prey squirming under my claws.

One final lunge from the male, and the door buckled away, a distorted mass on the floor in front of us. Screaming calls tainted with victory, we leaped forward, sprinting through, following the smell of the outside breeze. Unsick-creatures ducked sleepily out of their rooms, screaming when they saw us, but we ignored them in favor of leaping over their frozen bodies, running to freedom. Behind us, the angry shouts of more unsick-creatures spurred us into greater speeds, stumbling if we missed a handhold, the male hissing as his wound pulled. The screaming-bad-noise still rang through the air, but the thoughts of outside drove out any madness it inspired.

So close. It was so close.

An explosion rocked the air, unsick-creatures ducking and screaming louder, and I howled when I felt the burn skate across my side. The male paused for a second, growling, preparing to defend me, but I hissed to keep him moving. We needed to leave. There were too many, we would be killed.

My eyes caught another door to my right, the smell of grass right outside it, and I pushed off the wall and jumped through it, feeling it splinter around me but ignoring it as my feet touched dirt, the breeze touched my overheated skin, the night allowed my eyes to open all the way.

The male and I paused for a second, worn claws digging into the dirt, reveling in the feeling of being free. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up, smelling the smells and allowing the breeze to caress my neck.

We were free.

Our happiness was interrupted by more shouting, and I snapped open my eyes and hissed, searching around for the threats. We were still surrounded by thick stone walls, lined with unsick-creatures pointing their hurting-things at us, and I narrowed my eyes. The wall would be easy enough to jump. Two jumps, one off the wall, and we would be over. However, we would have to get past the unsick-creatures that wouldn't hesitate to kill us.

The male growled suddenly, drawing my attention to a part of the wall that only had one unsick-creature on it, and I ducked my head in acknowledgement before sprinting in that direction. We were faster than the unsick-creatures, and by the time more arrived to that spot, we would already be gone, free, outside. We could run far away, and never have to come back, ever.

My claws devoured the dirt beneath me as we tore toward that spot in the wall, throwing it behind me as it was ripped from the ground. Stinging-things slammed into the ground around us, the male hissing as a chance one clipped one of his fingers, but we were moving too fast for the unsick-creature to aim accurately at us. A powerful push of our legs, and we were airborne, flying through the air in a move trademark to our kind.

We slammed into the wall, dull claws scrabbling at rock, the male slipping as his shorn fingers were unable to grasp the wall. I leaned over and pushed him up, giving him the momentum to make his next jump, and I followed him, soaring over the lip of the wall and landing, crouching, hissing at the unsick-creature that cowered before us.

'_Lyall? Lyall, it's me, John. You don't have to do this, Lyall. Come on, just wait and we'll get you back inside. It's nice in there, you have food, and it's warm. Come on, Lyall, it's alright, just-'_

I hissed, interrupting him. It was the same unsick-male-creature as before, the one that had muttered to me for a length of time. His fear filled the air, and the male growled in anticipation, taking a predatory step forward. I hissed him back, crouching, narrowing my eyes at the unsick-creature myself. I had gone through much more than the male had.

'_Lyall, hey, calm down. See, I'm not going to hurt you. Thanks for telling your friend off, but you really need to go back inside. The Doc will be furious if you leave, and we'd have to find more of you. You're doing good here, don't you understand? We can find a cure with your blood! I know you've never liked needles, but they're only taking blood samples, so it can't be that bad.'_

He raised his hurting-thing, pointing it at the ground away from me. I watched the motion warily, flinching when it brushed by me for the briefest of moments. His tone was becoming tight, anxious. He was weak-prey.

Eyes locking with his, I raised my hiss into a kill-scream, bunching my legs before springing forward, knocking him to the ground and slamming his head off of concrete. He appeared stunned that I had actually lunged for him, and I wanted to snort at his foolishness. He had been the one stupid enough to point the hurting-thing away from me.

My claws were dull, but it was easy enough to tear through his soft skin, to leave gaping tears in his body. Fresh-blood sprayed against my skin, splashing into my mouth, and I savored the taste, eyes half-closing in bliss. The male whined to join me, but I growled at him over the sound of the unsick-creature's cries of pain, threatening him away. He looked like he wanted to attack me, but ducked his head and backed off, listening to my dominance. Beneath me, the unsick-creature's struggles were getting weaker as his blood spilled on the ground. A little trail trickled to the male, and he ducked his head and lapped at it, growling with happiness.

Caught up in our bloodlust as we were, we forgot that there were more unsick-creatures, and an explosion rocked the air, followed closely by a stinging-thing slamming into my thigh.

I howled in agony, leaping off my now-dead prey, hissing at the approaching threat. The male followed my gaze, screeching, and I growled once back to him, diving over the side of the wall. It hurt to land, leg not wanting to accept the shock. I staggered, and the male pushed against my side, pushing me back to my feet and moving me into a run.

We sprinted forward, my leg moving slower than what I was used to but still racing along at an acceptable speed. It burned when I put weight on it, but I could handle the pain. The stinging-thing hadn't hit anything important, and I could claw it out of my flesh later.

Within moments, we were far out of range of the unsick-creatures, far from their torture and slow-death and electric shocks and sharp-stabbing things. Trees loomed around us, birds shrieking in alarm as our wild flight startled them into taking wing. After a long while, my leg burned too much to continue, and I stumbled to a stop, leaping into a tree branch and collapsing. The male leaped up to join me, whining as the skin over his stomach stretched painfully, crouching to lap at my leg.

I hissed and shouldered him out of the way, reaching a dull claw forward to dig the round pellet out of the muscle. My screams echoed throughout the forest until the small thing clattered to the ground, and I panted, whimpering and shuddering. The male licked the skin on my shoulder soothingly, lying up against my back and warming me against the cold night air. I shook for a moment longer, then raised my head to look around.

It was cold, and the color of the leaves told me winter would be coming soon. The forest loomed around us, dark and welcoming, heavy smells surrounding us and reminding us how tired we were. A river trickled in the distance, and there were no lights other than the slowly rising sun.

I lowered my head to the branch, just wanting to sleep. Beside me, the male dropped his head onto my back, half-covering me with his body but I allowed it. We had no coverings, and it was cold. We would have to find replacements soon, and soak them again in prey-blood so others would know to fear us.

I sighed loudly, mind sinking into sleep. We were free. The pack was free.

_**A/N: Fifteen pages later, and she's done! Kinda finished it fast, a lot faster than I had originally thought I would, but hey, who's complaining? Maybe I should deprive myself of sleep more often, since I seem to get more creative when I'm tired….**_

_**Remember the one-way glass? And how it was pressurized at one thousand psi? I figured a Hunter would have a much higher strength, since they can jump so far, so I estimated their kick strength at maybe 1800 psi. A little less than an ostrich, but still way more than the glass could handle. And with one pushing off, flexing the glass to its capacity while another jumped onto it, I figured the glass would just have to shatter. See, there was a reason for the basic physics lesson earlier!**_

_**And yes, our little Hunter Lyall did kill her brother. See, she didn't really recognize him, it was just the human mind interpreting her body language incorrectly. Poor John. I quite liked him. And don't worry, Doctor Carter will be making another appearance. Wait, maybe I shouldn't have told you that…. Oh, by the way, before I forget I should tell you that Lyall's name means 'Shield Wolf', derived from the old Norse word 'Liulfr'. I don't know why, but I really liked that name. I doubt the name will ever be showing up again in this story, but she needed a temporary name.**_

_**Well, hope ya' liked it, and be sure to review! There's plenty more adventure for this duo!**_


	6. Downpour

_Pale, weak, defeated light filtered over the ground, almost whimpering as it gave way to the darkness that encroached upon it. It receded from its day-time territory, moving slowly at first then racing along the ground, vanishing in sudden snaps and swatches. The heavy purple darkness hissed and growled, croaking with the sounds of the nocturnal creatures, howling with the shrill screams of the monsters it held. Finally, with a last defiant flare, the light vanished, sinking below the horizon and admitting defeat before its advance the next day._

_The predator groaned as he lifted his head, his muscles feeling like lead after the previous day's escape. It hurt him to move, the skin over his stomach stretched almost to tearing, but the feeling of being free was well worth the pain. Face slipping into an expression of content, he sniffed the night breezes, jaws parted to let the scents wash over the sensitive organ on the roof of his mouth, the one that interpreted the smells for him. His ears caught the sounds of the small insects flying around him, chirping on the trees, crawling in the grass. Their reign would last only a short time before they too vanished, and the true time of the predators would begin._

_A sudden whimper sounded beneath him, and he was reminded of the female, the one who had led him out of the unsick-prey-creature place. It would have been so easy to kill her now, while she was weak and sleeping, his body healed almost completely. But even as his jaws flooded with saliva in anticipation of the taste of blood, he lowered his head and nudged her awake. She whimpered and gasped in shock, twisting her way out from beneath him, looking everywhere around her._

_He let out a low, emotionless grumble as he got out of her way, letting her ride out her panic. He knew she still did not trust him completely, still did not understand the meaning of the pack. While the notion was inconceivable to him, he allowed her to react in her own way, to hiss and snarl when he got too close for her comfort, to approach her with more caution then should have been needed. She would learn in time that he meant no harm, unless she was a bad-leader and he would have to kill her or chase her away. But for now, she was learning, and while his blood sang at the thought of leading his own pack, he didn't want the female to leave. She was smart, smarter than his old leader, a thought that astounded him. He was unused to females, them being slim around where his pack had lived, but the quickness of her mind startled him. She almost seemed to be as clever as the unsick-prey-creatures._

_Her eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze back to him, calm now that she knew where she was. She chuffed a question-sound, and he let slip a whining growl on response, acknowledging her lead. She tilted her head, then snorted and sniffed the air, edgy._

_He knew why. He could see the mass of scars centered on the small of her back, knew she feared the creatures that should have feared her. The smell of the unsick-prey-creature place was imbedded deeply in her skin, and only time and blood would be able to wash it away. He had been in there for only a short while, the smell on his skin faint, vanishing with every gust of wind. She had spent much longer in there than he had, and he felt a slight thrill of alarm when he saw them. He understood her fear._

_A small shiver ran across her skin, and he felt the chill on his own body. His coverings and his shiny-things had been taken from him, and he bared his teeth in anger at the loss. He had spent a long time accumulating the reek of rotted blood, the collection of shiny-things that fit around his fingers. He had had a knack for finding them, and had often chased away his own pack-leader from his finds. Now he would have to start again, collect new shiny-things and drench his skin in new fresh-blood. It irritated them that he would have to, but he could deal with it._

_He tilted his head thoughtfully at the female. He wondered if she liked shiny-things too._

_After a few moments of reading the breezes, the female turned back to him and ducked her head for him to follow. He whined and lowered his own head before obeying, tracing her path as she loped across the ground. She was moving in the exact opposite direction of the unsick-prey-creature place, and he agreed with her path choice. He wanted them far away from him, far enough away where he wouldn't be able to think about them anymore, where they would be erased from his thoughts. He longed to travel north, a territory familiar to him, but the female led him on a westward trail, following the path the extinguished sun had taken._

_He turned his head to look north longingly, pausing in his steps, but turned away and followed the female. She was pack-leader. She was the pack._

~X~

I led the male for hours, heading west, far away from the unsick-creatures. I felt their stink on my skin, knew I smelled like them. The farther I got away from them, the better. I hated them.

The male whined once more for a break, and I stopped, sighing before actually listening to him this time. As I turned I could see a slightly surprised expression on his face before he grinned, ducking his head gratefully and flopping to the ground. I yawned before joining him, panting as my body cooled from travel. The night air clothed us, protected us, sheltered us. Our eyes saw everything in shades of orange and blue, things that were warm and cool. We saw nothing that shone in vivid shades, nothing that could have been prey, everything the same cool shades. It was fine with me. I had gone longer without eating.

A long while later, I yawned and rose, the male grumbling before joining me. He paused to try sharpening his claws on a rock, hissing when he scraped the tips of his fingers. While his claws were growing back swiftly, as were mine, it would still be a long while before they would be dangerous again. Any hunting we did would have to be with fangs and speed until they returned.

Barking quietly at him, I turned and continued moving west, again noticing the male's glance north. I didn't want to move north. I was already far more northward than I was comfortable with, far away from any territory I might have known. South was the direction of my old territory, where I had evaded the male-pack and hunted the sick ones. I would head there as soon as I got far enough away from the unsick-creature place.

I stopped walking, looking south uncertainly, then looking north. In the south, there were many male-packs to avoid, and while the male that accompanied me was larger than any male there, he would not fight well against the numbers they swarmed in. They fought for females like the herd-sick-ones fought for food. My sister had been taken by such a pack, I having barely escaped them by burrowing my way into the twisting wreckage of a demolished tall-building. If I returned south, I would be returning to a life of running and hiding, hunting during the day when everything burned and my eyes screamed in agony.

Making up my mind with a snort, I jerked my head and changed my direction, facing northward. The male bounced excitedly as he followed, and I growled grumpily at him to get him to calm down. While I did not understand the north, it couldn't be much worse than the south. In some part of my brain I knew that it would be colder there, but I could deal with that once I had coverings again. They would be easy enough to find. Every building-area had a place to find them.

Feeling the rising sun on my right shoulder, I padded onward, the male following happily behind.

~X~

I sniffed the air cautiously, edging forward slightly to look around me better. Behind me, the male shifted his weight, kneading the ground in anticipation. We had found a place with the hooded coverings we preferred, but the area reeked with the smell of another pack of ones like us. I could identify at least eight separate smells, possibly three more, and knew we would not stand a chance if confronted by them. However, it was daytime, and they should be asleep now. If we were quiet, we would be able to get our coverings and leave with nothing left but the faintest traces of our smell.

Seeing nothing, I slunk forward, keeping myself low to the ground. The male wasn't very good at this, his larger bulk harder to support, but he was able to remain silent as well. He was a predator. He knew how to place his feet to remain absolutely silent.

I paused before rushing into the darkness of the building, opening my eyes more to see in the gloom. I glanced around to get my bearings, then growled quietly to direct the male to a pile of coverings, picking through them hurriedly to find one small enough to fit me. The male found one within moments, wiggling into the dark gray cloth, and soon I found a musty green one that wouldn't be so large. Sometimes, my small size was helpful, but most of the time it only served to put me at a disadvantage.

Again covered, I growled happily before looking for another kind to cover my legs. The male sniffed at my shoulder, and I yipped at him playfully, butting his shoulder with mine. His eyes widened slightly, but I continued past him, heading for a metal-thing that held the leg coverings. Again, it was difficult to find one that fit me, but I managed to find a gray one, tugging it over my legs, carefully navigating it past my claws on my toes. The male had found a dark blue one, and bounded over to me, checking to see if I was ready to leave.

I shook myself happily, pleased to feel cloth against skin once again even if it was clean, and led the way out, still being quiet. Even if we were properly covered, the other pack wouldn't hesitate to attack us for intruding on their territory. They would kill the male and drag me to wherever they would keep me, and I would never be able to escape them.

For some reason, the thought of them killing the male scared me more than the thought of me being captured.

A short time later, we were racing away from the building-place, snarling and screaming happily, leaping around each other as we ran. I nipped the male on his side, and a few moments later he was chasing me, racing along the ground.

I yowled mockingly before leaping against a tree to change direction, hearing the male scream angrily as he overshot me. I grinned and glanced back, tapping the ground lightly with my hands before racing off again, swifter and lighter than he. However, he was faster than I had expected, and a hand reached out and swiftly tugged my leg out from under me, sending me flying to the ground.

I rolled as I collided with the dirt, screaming indignantly, and the male screeched back before tackling me, knocking me back onto the ground and play-biting at my throat. I growled and pressed my feet against his stomach, and, careful to keep my claws away, pushed him off lightly. He snorted and ducked his head after regaining his feet, a playful light in his eyes, but our play was interrupted by a single furious growl.

We whirled around to face the noise, backs arched and hissing, teeth bared as we saw the pack that stood before us. Nine were crouched in the trees, eyes narrowed at us, sharp claws digging into rough tree bark. One large male stood slightly more forward than the rest, telling us he was the leader. He let out a single, low, threatening screech, hunching his shoulders angrily at us.

I was already turning my body to run, but the male stepped in front of me, spitting furiously at the other male and gathering his legs beneath him, preparing for a jump. I wanted to scream at him for his stupidity, but held it back, knowing it would not help.

Another, higher-pitched scream responded to the male, and I snapped my head around to look in shock at a female perched on a branch.

Her coverings were purple, soaked in blood, but less than my old coverings had been. She glared at me, hissing, and I could only watch in shock as her leader growled at her furiously. She screeched back, and he only grumbled, submitting to her. I could only stare, stupefied by this. The female was not a plaything like she should have been. She was a member of the pack, and she even controlled the leader!

A growl from another male snapped me back into our current situation, but I was still awed. Were the females not things in the north? Were they treated like any other sick one?

My pack-mate growled, shifting his weight, and I whimpered to him, trying to get him to back down and run. He merely shot a glance in my direction before returning his gaze to the other pack-leader, baring his teeth. The leader met his threat, lowering his head aggressively, jumping down from his branch to join us on the ground. His pack joined him, eight individual thumps, and I began to feel the thrill of an approaching fight.

There was a moment of stillness, then the leader leaped forward, claws outstretched to tackle my pack-mate to the ground.

The male leaped as well, coming up from underneath him and catching him in the stomach, lack of claws ruining his first strike. As they rolled on the ground, fighting and screaming and snarling, I could see the rest of the pack moving to join in, to kill the male.

I screamed at them, reminding them I was there, and they paused, flicking their glances over to me. I hissed uncomfortably, knowing I wouldn't stand a chance against eight others but willing to help defend my pack-mate. They exchanged glances, then the smallest male and the female turned in my direction, bunching their legs to leap for me. I cast one desperate glance at the fighting pair, scared for the male, then locked eyes with the female and jumped before she could.

I aimed lower than what she was expecting, and instead of colliding with her chest as she thought I would, I slammed into her legs, hearing her howl as one of them snapped. The small-male screamed and dug his claws into my back, tugging me away from the female, and I turned and scratched at his face, screeching in satisfaction when I saw him duck. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw my pack-mate throwing the leader into another male before whirling and scratching another across the eyes. As another one tackled him to the ground I was forced to return to my own fight, leaping to the side to avoid a clawed swipe at my midsection.

I shrieked defiantly at the small-male, and he screamed back, leaping for me. His body moved faster than I could avoid, and my back collided heavily with the ground, motion continuing into a roll with the both of us snapping at each other, claws tearing furrows into skin.

I bit his shoulder, releasing to avoid a clawed swipe at my eyes, slashing at him with my own dull claws in return. His sharp teeth met through my hand, and I yowled, slamming my head into his to make him let go. He let slip a startled gasp the same moment I heard a scream of pain from my pack-mate, but I was unable to look to see how badly he was injured. I pushed the small-male away from my body, shoving my legs between us and pointing my claws downward before kicking, sending him flying away, yelping.

Rolling to my feet, favoring my injured left hand, I saw that the male had two others pinning him to the ground, the leader tearing viciously at his face. I screamed and jumped, landing on the leader's back and tugging him away, he yelping in surprise.

I leaned forward and buried my teeth in his neck, hanging on stubbornly as he tried to shake me off, growls reverberating in my throat. Behind me, the male screeched in victory as he pushed the others off him, tackling another to the ground and sinking his teeth into the flesh of his throat. There was a brief struggle before my pack-mate yanked his head back, tearing the neck open with a spray of blood and removing one threat from the fight. Beneath me, blood ran like a river from my jaws, smearing between me and the leader as he thrashed around to try to get me off.

Something grabbed me from behind, yanking at me, and I opened my mouth in surprise, whirling to fight off another attacker as the leader tore away from me, spitting furiously. Shocked, I stared at the female, who stood on three legs, broken leg dragging on the ground. She hissed, a call edged with pain, and I responded, lowering my head and hissing back. As I prepared to jump, the leader wailed, and to my surprise, the other pack stopped, pulling away from us.

I backed up swiftly, wary and alert. The male joined me at my right, growling softly to himself, watching the other pack. The leader sniffed at the body of the dead male before turning his head to the female, whining low in his throat. She whimpered back, ducking her head to lick under his chin, and he growled sadly, looking at her broken leg. The small-male limped to join them, holding his stomach together with one arm, sending me wary looks as he joined his pack. Another was missing an eye from when my pack-mate had clawed him, and he glared at us, hunched over, seething. My pack-mate growled in return, and the other male flinched, looking away.

I turned my head to study the male, wondering at the extent of his injuries. His face was badly clawed, and it would scar horribly, but he still had his eyes. One shoulder seemed particularly bloody, and if I looked closely I could see the deep tooth-marks in the skin. The tip of his small finger on his left hand was missing, and I wanted to whine at the loss. With the missing fingertip, he was missing a claw. However, other than those main injuries the rest seemed superficial, only scratches that would heal swiftly. He had fared well in the fight.

He rolled his eyes to look at me, expression concerned. I let slip a low whine, telling him I was alright, and looked again at the other pack, feeling the leader's calculating gaze on my skin.

It was still, and finally, the leader ducked his head, allowing us to leave. He and his pack could have continued fighting, could have killed us, but only at great cost to his pack. Already one was dead, another crippled. He was drawing back, letting us leave and avoiding injury to his pack. It confused me. The packs I was used to often fought until one pack decimated the other, even if none survived. This male was taking care of his pack, making sure they would be safe. He knew that by fighting us, he was risking more damage. He would let us leave to keep his pack from getting even more hurt.

My pack-mate ducked his head back, backing up slowly, keeping me behind him as we retreated. There was a tense moment, until finally the leader snorted and turned away from us, gently picking up the female and leaping off with her, the rest of his pack following. One of the others picked up the small-male, whimper-growling in concern to him, and the small-male glanced back at me, whining to his pack-mate. The other male snorted and jumped away with him, and within seconds, they were gone, vanished among the trees.

We waited for a while to make sure they were really gone, then the male turned to me, whimpering. I crooned back, reaching out to stroke his cheek with my palm, the hand that was uninjured. He closed his eyes, shaking, then opened them again to sniff at me, checking for injuries.

He hissed at the bite on my shoulder and the claw marks on my back. He snarled when he saw the holes going through my hand, where the small-male had bit me. I sniffed and licked at his shoulder, and he stiffened a moment before sagging, shaking with exhaustion. I whimpered soothingly to him before pulling away, leading him to a spot where we could rest. The sun was beginning to set before I found a place I thought was safe enough, a hole in the side of a riverbank where a tree had fallen out, roots gouging out a small cave.

I laid down, the male joining me, and we spent a long while cleaning each other's wounds. His face and finger took a long time to stop bleeding, but eventually I was able to sooth his hurts with my tongue. When we were done, we drank our fill of water and curled up together, his head resting on my hip and mine on his thigh. Growling softly to each other, we closed our eyes, and sank slowly into sleep.

~X~

_Two days had passed before the female judged them capable of movement, before leading them north again. In that space of time they had eaten a herd-sick-one, the male grimacing at the taste but the female used to it, having eaten only it in the unsick-prey-creature place. He still mourned the loss of a fingertip, and his face was almost completely scabbed over, but he was almost entirely healed. The female's hand still hurt her, and she had to stop to lick it often, but it would be better soon. They had recovered well from the fight._

_He padded after the female as she limped along, his own shoulder stiff but it was easy to ignore. He was still surprised at how well she had fought, considering how small she was. Even the runt of the other pack had been bigger than her, yet she had still torn his stomach open like she had torn his open._

_He flinched at the memory, glad he was not the other male. The female's toes bit deep._

_The female turned back to him, woofing slightly, and he yipped back, tossing his head up a little bit. She snorted, then lifted her head to begin scenting for prey, standing on her back legs to give her better access to the breezes._

_He grinned at her small height, wincing when the scabs cracked. He wasn't able to do much with his face. It hurt to open his mouth to bite or bark, and his expressions were limited. Often times the female had trouble understanding him, and he had to elaborate on his body language to get a message across. It was annoying, but he would have to deal with it until he healed._

_The female made a chirping noise, grinning as she fell back onto her arms, leading him to the prey she had scented. He followed her, soon smelling what she had found. It was one of the puking ones, and he picked up his gait, following her cheerfully. For some reason, the puking ones always smelled delicious, and he was eager to get its blood in his coverings. The herd-sick-ones were always attracted to the smell, and it made for easier hunting. There weren't too many left anymore, since they were always the first thing chosen to hunt, but this one was still around._

_The female slowed to a walk, lowering herself, and he followed her example, listening. Faintly, he could hear the gurgling noises that told them their prey's location, and they grinned at each other, the male ignoring the pain of doing so. It would be an easy hunt. The prey was already in leaping distance, the wind in their favor, and they were alone for the most part. An easy kill._

_Screeching, the female lifted off, and the male felt his own legs follow her, sailing through the air. Her claws ruptured the tightly-stretched skin of the puking one, and it exploded, spraying them in bile and blood, an appetizing reek filling the air. Shortly, he could hear the screams of herd-sick-ones approaching them, attracted by the smell of the kill, and they grinned once more at each other before lowering their heads to eat._

_They had eaten their fill by the time the herd-sick-ones arrived, and entertained themselves by screaming them away, barking in amusement as they cowered away from their fangs. The female lazily clawed one across the throat, grinning in the spray of blood that showered on her, and the male playfully tackled her, sending her to the ground._

_Leaving the remains of the puking one to the herd, they continued their play, chasing one another, leaping everywhere as they traveled north. Their skin became marred with welts, accidents as claws were forgotten, but it was all in fun. The female's claws had regained their sharpness, though were still short, and the male's were still steadily growing. He was frustrated at the pace, but let the female be his claws for him. They would regrow soon enough._

_Air filled with their happy calls and pants, they traveled on, looking for a territory._

~X~

**'Major Greensley, am I correct in understanding that you let my subjects escape, unscathed, and allowed them to run through the civilian quarters, infecting who knows how many others?'**

**'Ma'am, there wasn't anything we could really do. How were we supposed to know that the glass wasn't strong enough if we didn't know how strong their legs were? You were the one that told us it should be fine, that they wouldn't be able to escape the room, that it was fool-proof.'**

**'Major, I made suggestions, and it was your choice to follow them. I said the glass **_**might**_** be strong enough to hold them, not that it definitely would. We were estimating off mathematical equations, not pure hard facts. You were the one who built the room. It was your responsibility to make sure they didn't escape. And where are they? Gone. They killed Private John Tucker, the brother you were certain would get through to her. Granted, even I had believed that she might have recognized him, but you were the one that took one interaction as truth. No, Major Greensley, it is your fault they are gone. And since I doubt you'll be able to find me another female with the same blood type as our precious little 'Lyall', I want them back. My experiments have started bearing some fruit. The Smoker variant is already showing a lot of promise. Did I tell you we had one writing out the alphabet the other day? And the Hunter variant seemed so much more intelligent. Major Greensley, I want my female back.'**

**'What about the male?'**

**'I could care less about the male. His kind are a dime a dozen. Get me back my female, Major Greensley, and I might consider not reporting your mistake to the general. It's bad enough he blames my staff for the escape and the infection of four individuals. Get her back, and I'll take the blame. The most that will happen to me is half-rations for a week. But we both know what will happen to you, don't we?'**

**'Yes ma'am.'**

**'Then we're at an agreement. Get me my female, and you might make it through this.'**

**-**

_**A/N: Holy shit, I'm on a roll with this! Not happy at all with the dialogue, but I'm too lazy to revise it. And see, just because they're out doesn't mean their problems are over, now does it? *winks* No, I like torturing my characters too much to let them live happily. I know, I'm cruel.**_

_**Anyways, reviews are proven to make me write more, and I have a feeling some of will want me to continue as fast as I can. So, therefore, you know what to do! If you don't, Crazy angry needle lady will kidnap you in your sleep and experiment on you too! *nickname for Doctor Carter stolen from Inki Veins* Well, hope you liked it!**_

_**P.S. Just to clarify, yes, our Hunters now have clothes. The male is wearing a dark grey hoodie with dark blue sweats, and the female is wearing a forest green hoodie with mid-grey sweats. I suppose I should draw them, now shouldn't I? *grumbles* Well, if I do I'll post a link in the next chapter so you can find them. But, if you're interested in any other art I do (I do have a few L4D fanarts), you can find me at gar-a-ash . deviantart . com (without the spaces, of course). Well, enjoy your days!**_


	7. Hailstorm

The male whimpered as I carefully cracked his scabs between my teeth, fingers twitching with the pain. I whined in apology, but found the next one, tenderly breaking that one too. The wounds on his face had become infected, and pus built up beneath the scabs if left alone. I had to break them open every now and then, to allow them to drain. I knew it hurt him, but he understood the necessity as well. Even if it hurt, it needed to be done.

Finished, I licked his face clean once more, feeling the muscles scrunch up under my tongue. Then, whimper-growling, I pulled away, turning to begin walking once more, the male grumbling to himself as he followed.

We had traveled far in the past few days, far enough for star-that-never-moves to have slid upwards in the sky. The nights got cold enough for our breaths to fog in front of us as we ran, and still the male continued to look north. I didn't know how far he wanted to move, but I figured we'd continue traveling until he was happy. I didn't know where I was, but he did. Even though I was leading us, I was using him for cues. This was not territory I knew.

I paused once again to bury my hands in my sleeves, covering my face with the fabric. The male came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me for warmth, and I leaned against him. The frigid air bit at my skin. I didn't see how the male could stand the cold, but he didn't seem to have any problem with it at all. He still panted during the day, when I was barely warm enough to not shiver.

I peeked out from above my hands, looking around. Just how much farther north would we have to go?

Warm once again, I pulled away from the male, sighing as I continued walking. The night was cold, but the light was too strong during the day to see. While we could travel without sight, it was a lot easier when you could see what threats to avoid. We had almost ran into an angry one a few days ago, and had only lost it after hours of running away. Nighttime was best to travel, even if it was cold.

The sun slowly began to rise, and I started looking for a place to sleep. We had been sleeping in tree branches for the past few days, and while it worked, neither of us slept well with the sun on our backs and emptiness beneath us.

I yipped when I saw the small burrow, crouching to peer into it. It was just barely large enough to hold the two of us, and looked like it had been abandoned for years. In the air was the faint smell of the singing-canine-creatures, and I figured it must have been one of their dens at some point. Either way, it was perfect for us, if we made it a little larger.

Pulling out, I turned to the male, barking before crawling back in and digging at the dirt with my claws. He seemed confused, but once he saw what I was doing he helped, pulling away the dirt I piled up. In a short while I had expanded the cave another hand width, and, curling up, invited the male to come in and lay down.

He struggled to get through the entrance, his shoulders almost too wide, but managed to fit through, squeezing himself around me. It was tight but warm, and the air quickly became almost hot as our breaths warmed it.

Nuzzling my face sleepily into the male's ribs, I purred lightly, crooning when I felt his nose brush against my face. He flicked his tongue out and licked my cheek briefly, and I lifted my head and lapped at his eyes in return, feeling the roughness of scabs. He grimaced and pulled his head slightly away, playfully shoving my head away with his hand. I ducked underneath and returned my head back to its spot on his chest, closing my eyes in sleep. I felt more than heard the male purr, and rumbled back, dozing off. Shortly after, the male followed me, and we both fell asleep, sinking into the warmth of our den.

~X~

_The male yawned, feeling like he was being smothered in the damp heat of the den. Outside, the last traces of daytime slid out of the sky, and he listened to the world, listening for threats or prey. There were the sounds of a few small-creatures, but nothing really worth killing unless he was starving._

_Wanting to leave the den, he ducked his head down and licked the female's face until she woke, grumbling in irritation at being woken up. He whimpered in apology, and she grumpily yanked herself away from him, sliding out of the den and into the cold night air. Happy at being able to move, he quickly followed, stretching his stiff limbs and relishing in the cold air._

_The female shivered beside him, not used to the cold, and he walked over, wrapping his arms around her small frame and drawing her close to him, to share body heat. Still not fully awake, she allowed him to do it, leaning against him and burying her face in the hollow between his neck and shoulder. He crooned nonsense sounds to her, dull claws trailing lazy patterns across her back. She purred, arching her back in pleasure, and it encouraged him to move his other hand up to her head, gently tugging the hood down and playing idly with her hair._

_She flinched when the fabric was drawn down, but allowed him to touch her, purring madly. He grinned, not caring at the pain of doing so, and nuzzled his face against her neck, smelling her scent and memorizing it, entranced. She gave a small whine when his hands stopped moving, and he pulled away, continuing his ministrations. She wiggled happily against him, rubbing her face against his shoulder, and he felt an odd sense of possessiveness fill him._

_She was his. This female belonged to him._

_She looked at him warily when his deep growl filled the air, and he gave a small chuffing sound, letting her know the sound wasn't directed at her. She continued to watch him cautiously, eyes narrowed slightly, and he ducked his head in apology, loosening his arms and allowing her to draw away. She did so jerkily, stiffly, and he wanted to yowl at the loss of the happy feeling a few moments ago. However, the only thing he did was duck his head in apology, lowering his belly to the ground, begging forgiveness. She granted it with a short sound, and he whimpered, closing his eyes._

_Great, he had ruined the trust that had been starting to build up between them._

_Startling him slightly, her body leaned over his, hesitantly brushing his face with her claws. He opened his eyes, looking up at her curiously, and she gave a small grin, ducking away and pulling her hood back up. He stayed still for a moment, then grinned lopsidedly, scrambling to his feet and loping over to her, rubbing his face against her shoulder. She grumbled good-naturedly and shoved back, inciting another round of playing._

_They rolled, tumbled, and snarled at each other for most of the night, building up muscles lost in captivity and further strengthening the bond between them. In chasing down a bird, the male learned that the female preferred hunting from heights, while he enjoyed hunting on the ground. He was astounded when he discovered she knew how to swim, and a lot of the night was spent teaching him, though the closest he could come to swimming was barely keeping his head above water. She figured out that he got edgy when things approached from his right, and stayed on his left side. They paused once to drain his scabs again, though they were almost healed. In this manner they continued until dawn was threatening the skies once again, and they finally stopped, panting and gasping for breath._

_Tired and overheated, they sprawled out on the forest floor, panting and grinning at each other, legs shaking with exhaustion and arms barely able to hold their weight to walk on all fours. The den was a short distance away, having stayed in the vicinity the entire time, and they both knew they would be sleeping there again tonight. It was a good area, perfect for keeping a territory, except for the fact that there was no food source nearby. Still, the male knew the female would be loath to leave it, to head further north. But he wanted to go back to his old pack, to see their faces when he came back with not only new scars, but also a female. They would be stunned, amazed, and their respect for him would increase greatly, even though he was runt._

_If the female was his mate, that'd be even better._

_He turned his head to look at her, considering, then snorted softly to himself and dropped his head on his arms. He was a runt, and though larger than most of the males in the other pack, he knew she would still choose a larger mate. Maybe Three-Scars, the old second in his pack before he had killed the leader Blood-Glut. He was a good fighter, bigger than he was, and a lot stronger. It had been Three-Scars that had chased him away after he had killed Blood-Glut, ignoring the fact that he should have been leader. He had chased him, and the male had run away, yowling, scared._

_He felt shame twist his face into new features, and he turned away from the female, staring into the night. He heard her questioning growl and ignored it, shutting his eyes. Even though Three-Scars had been larger than him, he should have stayed and fought for his place in the pack. He would most likely have been killed, but he had shamed himself by running away after killing the leader. He had no respect with his old pack now._

_A sudden weight dropped down onto the ground beside him, and he snapped his head around, staring in shock at the female. She lay pressed against him, staring curiously at his face, then gave a soft growl and dropped her head on his shoulder, wiggling closer against him. He hesitated only a moment before growling back, rolling over and grabbing her small form in his arms, warming her slight figure. She purred and wiggled again, and he nuzzled his face into her hair, smiling despite himself. It was still a long way to go until they reached his pack, at least another week. He had plenty of time to enjoy his female._

~X~

I again barked in amusement, watching the male as he struggled to figure out just how to swim. He was able to keep his head up only if he flailed in the water a lot, but he couldn't figure out how to actually swim like I could. I could see that his main problem was that he was scared of the water, but there was no way of getting around that. All sick ones were scared of water, except for me. For some reason, I was the only one not afraid to get my skin wet, to dive into the cool abyss. I was the only one able to.

Sighing in exasperation, I again slid into the water, swimming smoothly up to the male. He turned to his head to watch me, almost drowning himself in the process, and I growled as I swam around him, trying to show him how to do it. My arms and legs moved in long, slow strokes, my body kept afloat by my breathing. Barely any of my body was above the surface of the water, and only the faintest ripples emanated from me. I was a stark contrast to the male, who floundered and splashed madly, disrupting the entire surface of the pond.

I growled, irritated. He just did not understand how to float.

Paddling up to him, avoiding his thrashing limbs, I pulled an arm out of the water and shoved the male's head down under the surface, letting go as soon as I felt him struggle. He flailed his way back to the surface, gasping and choking for air, glaring at me balefully past the fresh scars on his face. I bared my teeth and hissed back, and he automatically froze, sinking lightly in the water.

I poked his sides, reminding him to breathe, and he inhaled sharply, seeming stunned when he realized he wasn't sinking. His limbs still moved reflexively, but it wasn't the same panicky motions as before, assisting him in keeping his head above water. I made those motions myself, remaining in place, then snorted and turned away, pushing and pulling the water until I moved in the direction I wanted to go.

The male paddled after me, still splashing horribly but not to the same extent as earlier. He barely moved in the water, but eventually figured out that moving rapidly wasn't the answer, unlike running. He slowed his splashing and came up beside me, a look of awed joy on his face.

I grinned, resisting the urge to splash him.

Kicking away, I led him back to the shore, whining when I saw ice had built up again. The water was frigid, as it had grown colder in the three days since I began teaching the male to swim, and I knew I would be even colder when I left the pond. The thought of the den allowed me to remove myself, shaking hurriedly, and I ran into the direction of the small building, with its nest of torn clothing in it.

Behind me, I could hear the male following, strides a little shaky after being used to the water. Still, he moved just as fast as I did, also eager for the warmth. He may have been more used to the cold, but even he could not stand the coldness of the water combined with the freezing air. He also needed the nest.

Clambering in through a broken spot in the wall, I dove into the nest, burrowing myself into the large pile of fabric, hearing the male squirm in beside me. It took a long while, but eventually our body heat returned, and the nest grew warmer as time went on. The moisture dried from our coverings swiftly, and eventually we squirmed around until we found each other again, lying in a tangled heap of limbs. The male's arm was flung carelessly across my face, and I snorted and bit it lightly, making him move it. He grumbled and twisted around a bit more until he brought his face close to mine, and I felt his breath on my forehead.

I opened my eyes, barely able to see him in the gloom. He was staring at my face, his own containing an unusual expression that I couldn't name. I snorted again and shut my eyes, and he leaned forward a bit more and licked my cheek. I pulled away, grimacing, and he tucked his head against my chest, curling up on me and preparing to sleep.

Opening my eyes into slits and glaring at him, I considered making him move, but just sighed and let him stay. He had been oddly clingy to me for the past few days, slightly annoying me, but I found I didn't dislike it. It made me feel… I didn't know how to explain it. It was a good feeling, though.

Moving my claws to brush a strand of hair off his cheek, I closed my eyes and fell asleep as well, warm despite the freezing air outside.

~X~

I hissed with the bright light, ducking my head down so the hood would block the sunlight. The nights had been growing longer, but we still traveled during the day a little, trying to make time. The male seemed desperate to move northeast, and woke each morning tense, staring at the clouded sky. I'll admit I also found the metallic scent in the air alarming, but not to the extent the male seemed to. I was happy enough the air seemed to be warming, though the dry bite I inhaled was annoying. But at least I wasn't shivering as much.

Something cold and wet landed on my nose, and I yelped in shock and jerked my head back, surprised. Around me, small little white flecks were gently floating down, landing on the ground and vanishing.

I stuck my hand out experimentally, hissing when I felt the coldness touch my skin, watching in amazement when I saw the white fleck turn into a drop of water. The male hunched his shoulders unhappily, staring at the sky with a mournful expression. Even as I watched, the flecks fell with greater intensity, building up to the point where they made small piles on the ground.

Playfully, I swiped my claws at one, barking when it scattered at the hit. It was cold, and stuck to my fingers slightly, but I liked how it clumped together and flew through the air. It was fun.

Looking at the male mischievously, I yipped and threw a growing pile at the male, howling with amusement when I saw the white stuff stick to his coverings. He growled and shook it off, giving me a strange look, and passed me, walking swiftly. Confused, I followed, unable to resist the urge to jump in any pile I saw, rolling and sliding in it. I was able to get him to join me in play a little, he throwing me into a giant pile of the stuff, me screaming happily, but he seemed eager to find a shelter, sniffing at everything that could possibly work. However, none seemed to meet his requirements, and he walked forward with growing agitation, moving stiffly. I couldn't understand his worry, playing, but something was off.

I just couldn't figure out what.

A sudden low moaning filled the air, and I stiffened, unable to tell what it was. It seemed to come from everywhere, and as I looked around, I realized the white stuff had stopped falling, though the clouds seemed even darker than before. The male whined and started scrabbling against a blocked opening, dull claws tearing at the old wood and trying to rip it away. I was still listening for the source of the sound, turning my head in every direction, trying to pinpoint it.

It was everywhere.

The wail slowly built in intensity, setting me on edge, and the male stopped what he was doing, only succeeding in tearing one board off, not enough room for me to fit through, let alone him. He came up beside me, gently nudging me out of the open and into a more sheltered area. I resisted slightly, wanting to know where the sound was coming from, and he growled low in frustration. I snarled back and he flinched away, leaving me alone. He took a hesitant step back, and it was at that moment I found where the sound was coming from.

A screaming gust of wind slammed into me, accompanied by a flurry of the white stuff and chunks of ice, and I had to dig my claws into the black rock beneath me in order to keep from being knocked over, screaming with sudden fear. The male came up behind me and pushed against me, helping keep me upright, and I wailed in terror, not understanding what was happening. The wind lashed around me, white stuff hitting me with enough force to sting, my feet sliding on the white stuff on the ground and sliding out from under me.

The male whined above the screaming of the wind and nudged me to shelter, I not able to keep my feet underneath me. The air was suddenly bitterly cold, stealing the breath from my lungs, and I choked and wheezed on the dryness. The male had to drag me, as my limbs had gone stiff with fear, and eventually he managed to get the both of us behind a wall.

Almost immediately, the wind stopped pulling on my body, and I was able to stand on my own, shaking with terror. The sudden fury of the sky scared me more than any unsick-creature could, unexpected and ferocious. It was more terrifying than an angry one, more ferocious than a pack of ones like us, sliced at you with claws sharper than a crier, pulled you with more strength than the long-tongues, and was more powerful than the entire herd of unsick-creatures. It was everything, ripping through the entire building place, throwing everything around it.

I whimpered, and the male grabbed my arm and pulled me against him, holding me close against him, nuzzling his face in my hair as I whimpered and whined and shook. I was more scared now than I had ever been, unused to seeing this kind of fury. I had survived storms before, storms that picked up and threw things far away in the south, but this cold savageness was entirely different. This was purposely trying to kill you, to drive you away. The north was a vicious place, fighting against you whenever it could. This was nothing like the south, where you could survive if you had a safe place. Even if you had a safe place here, you would still freeze.

I buried my face against the male's chest, crying. I hated the north. Even if it meant going back to the male-pack, I wanted to go back south.

~X~

_The predator whimpered along with the female, feeling the air's sting against his skin. He knew she had never seen a northern storm before, but the magnitude of how much it scared her frightened him. If the storm scared her back south, they would never find his pack, never be safe. The female was strong, but not strong enough. He needed a full pack._

_Lifting his head slightly, he blinked when he saw an open door across the wide-space, almost invisible in the blowing snow. If he could get the female across, they would have shelter in the blizzard. However, he would have to get her willing to move, to cross the wide space with winds almost strong enough to throw her. This was one of the most ferocious storms he had seen, and it was the female's first. She would be too terrified to move._

_He growled to himself. He would have to carry her._

_Manipulating her arms, he slung her across his back, making sure she held on before releasing her. She gripped him tightly, burying her face in his back, and he felt a brief surge of annoyance before reminding himself that he would be scared too if this was his first storm. Then, trying to peer through the wall of solid white, he found the door and jumped._

_The combination of extra weight and slippery footing only brought him halfway across the wide-space, the wind immediately slamming into him and making him lose his footing. He slipped and fell harshly to the ground, fangs clacking together, and he screamed at the wind in defiance as he rose, trying to get a solid enough grip to jump again. On his back the female wailed as he fell, shaking, and he growled, frustrated. Why did he have to do this?_

_Somehow finding a clear patch of ground, he dug his bare toes into the rock and leaped, facing into the wind so that he could jump against it. It still pushed him to land short of his target, but it was easy enough to crawl on the ground into the building, out of the screaming wind and driving snow._

_Once inside, he was pleased to find one of the soft-things, easy to tear apart and make a nest out of. Shrugging the female off his back, he crooned a comforting growl to her before running up the jagged-hill, to a place where it was often easy to find clothing. Sure enough, he found an entire room full of it, and brought it down, heaping it into a pile for a nest, warm and sheltered._

_The female whimpered when he was finished, and he sighed before leaning down and nuzzling her, encouraging her to climb into the nest. She did so hesitantly, and once she was fully buried in the fabric she refused to let go of him, flinching whenever a chunk of ice hit the wall of the building. Sighing once more, he complied and flopped down beside her, curling around her shaking form, making nonsense sounds to soothe her._

_Having only been awake for a short time, it was impossible to return to sleep, but they were fine laying there, the female clinging to the male, flinching at every sudden howl of wind or slam of ice hitting the walls. He dragged his short claws up and down her back, something he knew she liked, trying to distract her from the storm outside. She was just starting to relax when a particularly large chunk of ice crashed against the walls, and she yelped before pressing herself closer against him, shivering intensely._

_He growled, holding her close. She was pack, and if she was afraid, then he would protect her._

_Even if his opponent was the weather._

~X~

I hesitated to leave the shelter the male had found, shaking as I slowly stepped up to the opening. The storm had blown itself out a long while ago, while I had been sleeping, and it was time to move again. But I still expected the screaming gales to return, to snap at my skin and throw me off my feet. I could feel the bitter cold outside, hear the gentle breeze. I was still scared.

The male snorted and shouldered his way past me, stepping out into the giant piles of white stuff and turning back, looking at me. The white stuff was deep enough to bury his legs, coming up to meet his stomach, and I knew it would most likely bury my back if I walked on all fours. But it hurt to walk on two legs, so I would have to manage.

Closing my eyes and inhaling, I forced myself to step off, floundering as I sunk deep into the cold. The male barked in amusement, and I opened my eyes and hissed at him, trying to make my way to him and having to jump each step to do so. I saw the glint in his eyes a moment too late before he tackled me, sending me flying into the sea of white stuff, rolling with me and play-biting as I was buried.

I felt a brief moment of panic, thrashing, before I realized I could still breathe even though my head was covered, and the male meant no harm. Besides, it was…..

It was fun.

The endless sea of white stuff, cold and fluffy yet compactable, was fun to leap about in, spraying it about, throwing it at the male. It was easy enough to bury oneself in it, to remain hidden and leap out, surprising anything that came near. It made for softer landings when thrown, and the slippery footing just added to the charm. One could run and suddenly stop, sliding for a distance.

I yipped playfully back at the male, launching him in the air with a well-aimed kick, barking happily when I saw him flailing in the air. He landed with a soft sound and floundered, regaining his feet and suddenly stilling, with me unable to see him.

I stilled, standing and looking where he was, tilting my head. What was he doing?

He exploded out of the drift suddenly, white stuff spraying everywhere, and tackled me once more to the ground, sliding with the momentum. We wrestled until I was too cold and damp to play anymore, and he happily led me back to the shelter, using his own body to break the path for me and make it easier. A sudden clinking sound of ice falling had me cringing, expecting the winds to start again, but a sound from the male had me continuing onward, until we reached the building again.

I flopped down on the floor, shivering against the chill, and the male nudged me back my feet and into the nest. I protested at first, since it was too early to sleep, but then realized the nest would be much warmer than laying on the floor with wet coverings.

Snuggling against the male, I grinned when he hissed at my cold body yet wrapped himself around me, warming me. His nose playfully nuzzled my damp hair, hood having been long pushed back, and I wiggled happily at the feeling. I liked the feeling of having someone like me enough to do this. My sister and brother in the south had barely even tolerated my presence at the best of times, and only then because we hunted together. The male-packs constantly fought amongst themselves, so this was a new experience for me. But I found I liked it. I enjoyed being cared about.

Despite the fact that I had only been awake for a short time, I found myself slipping into a doze. Oh well, a nap never hurt anyone, did it?

_**A/N: Boy, this took a long time. But I had severe writer's block, so I finally pushed myself over that today and wrote eight pages. I'm actually progressing our Hunter's relationship a bit faster than I would have preferred, but I don't want this story to drag on too long. I'm thinking of writing a sequel to 'Let's Play a Game', and I have a feeling it'll be multi-chapter. Joy.**_

_**Alright, now what things should I explain this time?**_

_**Ah, yes. Winter storms.**_

_**I don't know how much you know about storms where you live, but where I am, they are ferocious little monsters that want to tear your face off and rip your body to shreds. It literally rains ice, the winds blow snow so fast it cuts your skin, the air is cold enough to freeze your lungs, and the wind is strong enough to tear off tree branches and throw them against the side of your house, along with ice, rocks, and small animals. We normally get them about once a week, sometimes more if the weather decides to be a bitch. Actually, this year we had to stay in school longer, since we lost so much thanks to the storms. I still have two weeks to go. But yes, I'd imagine that for a poor southern creature like out Huntress, it would be a terrifying experience to have your first snow storm happen with no shelter and no idea that it's coming. You see, in order for it to snow it actually has to warm up, which is why she wasn't really expecting it. It's when it's bitterly cold that you're safe.**_

_**Now, our Hunter's names for his old pack-mates aren't really names, but ways for him to differentiate between them. I won't explain how Three-Scars and Blood-Glut got their names, since it should be explained shortly, but they're mostly descriptive labelings. Something to look forward to, eh?**_

_**Any other questions, feel free to ask. I don't bite too hard, and I promise I don't have rabies. I know this is slightly boring, since not too much happens, but I can't cover over two thousand miles of traveling in only one chapter. Sorry, but fillers are needed. If it makes you feel any better, I did skip days here and there.**_

_**Alright, I think I'll leave off here, and go to sleep now. I'm a little tired. Hope you liked it!**_


	8. Thunderclap

_The male trudged onward, breaking the path for the smaller female. If he didn't walk in front of her, flattening the snow slightly, then she would have been entirely buried in the drifts. It was something that never failed to amuse him, but it was tiring breaking trail for hours at a time. In his old pack, each member would take turns, so none would be too tired. However, with only the female he had to lead. At least they were almost there._

_He paused a moment, resting as he stared at the stars. Star-that-never-moves was halfway between the roof of the sky and the horizon, so he could stop going north and instead focus on traveling east. They had already walked along the shores of mother-lake and left it far behind, and they should only have a few more days of traveling before they reached his old pack's territory. The unexpected snowfall had delayed them greatly, doubling their amount of time traveling. It was difficult to walk through snow, and more tiring. Not to mention any food was well-hidden, sheltered from the cold. It had been almost four days since they had last eaten. They were hungry, and weak._

_Sighing, he continued walking, head down and feet dragging. His body was sore with the same continuous motion, of dragging his feet through mounds of snow every day. It hurt him to wake every morning, and when they bedded down every night he dropped into a heap of exhausted muscle, trembling as the female rubbed his arms and legs. She had tried breaking trail once, but all she had ended up doing was churning up the snow more. She didn't have the chest to break trail._

_The female yipped and suddenly took off, bounding through the snow, and he turned his head to watch her chase down a herd-sick-one. It panicked and fled, long legs giving him better reach to travel through the snow, but the female was faster, and in a few short moments she brought it down, snarling and writhing as she fought with it._

_Groaning, the male turned to join her, almost collapsing when he finally reached the kill. The female had already gutted it, dragging entrails through the snow and rolling in them, soaking the blood into her coverings. The male was too tired to care, only bending his head down to slowly gulp down chunks of flesh before it froze. The female barked at him worriedly, and he paused to give her a weary grin. She didn't seem convinced, but joined him, snapping down the flesh swiftly._

_A short while later, they left the frozen corpse, again traveling across the wide expanse of snow. Looking around, the male couldn't see anything that might be a shelter, and grudgingly accepted the fact that they were making another snow cave to sleep in. They weren't too hard to make, and warm enough, but not as good as an actual shelter with cloth to burrow into._

_The female screamed when the male suddenly collapsed, leaping to his side and nudging him onto his back. He whimpered, limbs trembling, and she crooned gently, laying down next to him and warming him, whining to him in soothing tones._

_His eyes slid slowly shut, and the last thing he was aware of was the female's claws gently trailing through his hair, and her worried voice crooning to him in concern._

~X~

I covered the male's cold body with my own, worried and terrified. I knew he had been tired, packing down the drifts for me, but I hadn't known he was tired enough to collapse without warning. If I had known how tired he was, I would have stopped a long time ago.

I had built a wall of white stuff to block the worst of the wind, but it was still freezing without a proper shelter. Wishing I could do more, I dragged my claws through his sweaty hair, making sounds to myself in comfort. He seemed to at least know I was there, leaning into my touch, and I buried my face into his back, sniffing and listening to his heartbeat. It was slow but steady. He was just overtired. He would be fine.

Shivering against the chill myself, I lifted my head and looked around blearily, feeling the fresh blood in my coverings freeze solid. It was cold against my skin, but helped block the wind slightly. Still, I was regretting rolling in it.

Tilting my head down, I lapped at the frozen blood, tasting the kill we had left behind a short while ago. I considered leaving the male for a moment to go eat more, but quickly decided against it. No, the male could not be left alone. He was weak and helpless, and he needed me to protect him. I needed to defend the pack.

Shifting my head again, I began licking the back of the male's neck, shifting myself so I was laying on top of him, arms folded across the back of his shoulders. He made a small sound and lifted his head at my ministrations, and I gave a happy screech at seeing him awake. He seemed confused, sniffing the air, then tried to rise, moving his arms and legs underneath him.

I snarled and bit the back of his neck, forcing him back onto the ground. He whined, and I growled, reinforcing my order. We could travel another day. He needed to rest.

He made as if to resist, whining, then gave up and rolled over, flipping me off his back.

I made an undignified squawking sound, floundering in the white stuff, and he yipped, amused. I growled back, but crawled over him and worked my way into his arms, chuffing happily. He nuzzled the top of my scalp, hugging me tightly and purring, and I purred back. Curling up even further, we laid there in the snow, closing our eyes for sleep.

What was a day, after all?

~X~

_The predator led the female through the forest, glad for the foliage that blocked the snow. Under the trees, the drifts weren't nearly as deep, barely above the wrist, so it was easy to walk. The female had to stop constantly and warm her hands and feet, but the male could tolerate the cold. He had always known it, except for when the unsick-prey-creatures had taken him. Cold was his element, and he knew well how to survive in it._

_He tilted his head when he saw the scratches high up in the tree, pausing before springing up to look closer at them. His newly-grown claws dug into the bark, holding him up, and after a moment the female joined him as well, chirping in curiosity. He sniffed at the scratches, inhaling deeply and reading the scents._

_He stiffened, recognizing the scents. It was his old pack. And the markings were fresh._

_Tilting his head back, he let slip an ear-splitting shriek, tearing through the air and announcing his presence. The female hissed beside him, flinching, and he turned his head, rubbing his face against hers in comfort. She still seemed concerned, rightly so, and he crooned to get her to calm down. He knew his pack wouldn't outright attack them when he had announced his presence, so she should be safe. If not, then he knew she could take care of herself. She was a savage fighter, more vicious than any other he had seen. She could fight._

_A sudden screech responded to his call, echoed by four others, and he stiffened, listening to see what direction they would come from. Beside him, the female had stiffened as well, and he hissed to her, letting her know things would be alright. She flicked her eyes to look at him, but didn't relax. He didn't think she would, but it was worth trying._

_In the distance, he could hear the sounds of snapping branches, and fell to the ground, turning to face the noise. The female dropped beside him, shoulders hunched and growling uncomfortably, and he leaned briefly against her, reminding her that he was there. Her growl cut for a second to let a bark through, then picked up again, sounding through the air._

_There were a few more tense moments, then Three-Scars exploded out of the brush, followed closely by No-Fangs, Strong-Bite, Sharp-Scratch, and another male he didn't recognize. Beside him, the female's growl escalated into a screech of shock at their appearance, then quickly cut off. By now he knew she was realizing that each and every one of them was larger then he, and bitterly wondered which one she would mate with. Each would be a possible choice._

_They were still for a moment, Three-Scars appearing shocked at the male's sudden appearance. Briefly, the male wondered if his new scars impressed him any, since his face was marred more than Three-Scars was. Three-Scars had three parallel grooves cutting sideways across his face from a Crier, the top at the bridge of his nose and the bottom at his chin. It had been Blood-Glut that had saved Three-Scars from the Crier and let him live._

_The male lifted his head even more, displaying his new scars proudly, and saw the look of uncertainty pass across Three-Scars' face. Scars were a measure of fighting prowess, since the more vicious fight left the most scars and it took a strong fighter to survive a fight like that._

_Beside Three-Scars, Sharp-Scratch let slip a low whine, shifting his feet uncertainly. The male had never had conflict with Sharp-Scratch, and they had often nested together. Three-Scars snarled, snapping at him, and he flinched back, cutting off his whine. Beside the male, the female snarled at the motion, and all attention was suddenly drawn to her small form._

_The male bristled as the female took the gazes, wishing he could hide her and keep her for himself. But she only hunched down even further, preparing to leap, a low scream issuing forth from her throat. If the pack had been uncertain before, now they were hesitant to attack, thrown off by the direct threat-display the female was giving. She was small, but her pose said she could handle anything. The male knew her enough by now to know that she was bluffing, but didn't do anything to contradict her. The stronger they thought she was, the better._

_Moving back a half-step, Three-Scars tried to cover his worry by redirecting his gaze to the male, hunching his shoulders and shifting into a dominant stance, clearly expecting the male to back down. The male thought for a moment, then snorted, moving his own body in response._

_Three-Scars seemed even more worried when the male accepted his challenge, hissing uncomfortably. Beside him, the pack backed off in anticipation of a dominance fight, yipping and barking in excitement. The female snarled, and the male turned back to nuzzle her, whining to tell her to stay._

_She surprised him when she hissed back, and he felt himself automatically flinch, lowering his head slightly to her. Across the small clearing, Three-Scars seemed confused, and hesitantly directed his growls at the female, as if to challenge her._

_The male screamed furiously at him, and the larger male turned back, clearly confused. He wasn't sure which one of the two of them to challenge, since the female was clearly dominant but it was the male screaming at him. He shifted back and forth for a moment, looking between them, then made up his mind and locked eyes with the male, building his growl into a challenge. The male ducked his head in response, baring his teeth, and there was a still moment as they stood, measuring each other. Then, Three-Scars moved, and chaos erupted._

_Three-Scars unfolded his legs into a jump, and the male copied a move learned from the female and slammed into his legs, causing the larger male to howl with pain and the strong legs to buckle. They fell into a snarling heap, writhing and clawing at each other, too close to do any real damage. Three-Scars managed to sink his fangs into the male's arm, making him squeal and pull away, and suddenly they broke apart, panting and staring at each other from opposite sides of the clearing. A large stream gurgled somewhere behind the male, and he took note of it, storing the information in the back of his mind. Around him, the pack circled excitedly, avoiding the female who snarled at them whenever they got too close._

_Three-Scars hissed, flexing his legs experimentally, and the male snarled, baring his fangs. There was another pause as they examined the brief encounter, testing memory to see how strong the opponent was, trying to think of a way to kill the other. Behind the male, the female called out in concern, unsure of what she should do. He growled back, not taking his eyes off of Three-Scars, and the female sighed heavily. He could hear her relaxing her stance slightly, and he felt a brief thrill of pride. She was learning pack laws. Slowly, but she was learning._

_Three-Scars screeched, shrill and angry, and the male screamed back, informing his opponent that he wasn't intimidated. At the larger male's worried whine, he suddenly knew how the larger male had won all his fights in the past. He used his size to intimidate, with his scarred face and sharp claws. But this time, it was the male who had the scarred face, the male who was strong and sure. He knew how to fight against multiple enemies, and to watch for tricks of the single fights. He had learned the art of battling from the female, whose savageness made the herd-sick-ones cower and the rest avoid her. Before, he had not known how to fight, with the pack always backing him and protecting him when he ran. In his time separated from them, he had been forced to learn. He was not the same runt who had been taken._

_This time initiating the strike, the male screamed and leaped forward, burying his claws deep into Three-Scars' ribs and using his weight to tug him around. The other screeched in pain and lashed back, but the male turned a shoulder to take the hit, hissing at the sting but otherwise ignoring it. Three-Scars wailed in alarm at the lack of response, panicking and trying to throw the male off, but he stubbornly held on, burying his fangs in Three-Scars' shoulder to better his grip._

_Sudden pain exploded in his head, and he slumped off, dazed. In his thrashing, Three-Scars had rolled onto a rock, with the male directly beneath him. The male snarled and tried to stand, but his limbs responded sluggishly, too slow, and Three-Scars grabbed him by the legs and threw him against a tree, using his weight to slam him into it. The male screamed in agony, and he dimly heard the female screech back, obvious worry toning her call. Through his fading vision he saw No-Fangs approach her, no doubt interested in courting her, and she hissed furiously and lashed at him, slashing across his face and making him reel back, yelping. Then Three-Scars stepped into his vision once more, and he was forced to try to make his numb body respond._

_As he tried regaining his feet, Three-Scars dug his claws deep into the male's torso, making him yelp, and threw him across the clearing into a patch of brambles, thorns catching at his skin and tearing, immobilizing his limbs no matter how hard he struggled. A clawed hand reached in and grabbed his ankle, ripping him harshly free, then picked him up and threw him once more, closer to the stream the male had heard before._

_At the sound of running water, the male groaned and lifted his head, looking blearily at the water. Glancing back to see Three-Scars coming after him, grinning sadistically, and he whimpered and tried dragging himself forward, to the river. Three-Scars grinned wider, no doubt seeing a retreat, and buried a clawed hand into his neck, tossing him into the surface of the water with a giant splash._

_The male panicked and thrashed before remembering to hold his breath, to paddle slowly. The cold shock of water woke his senses again, and he was sharply aware, seeing Three-Scars' shadow on the surface of the stream above him. He remained still, waiting, gathering his energy, then exploded out of the water, screaming and reaching forward._

_Three-Scars' eyes widened in shock, and he yelped and tried to turn to run, but the male's claws found the muscle of his leg and dragged him into the river as well, into a part too deep to stand on the bottom and keep the head above water._

_Three-Scars screamed and dragged at the male, thrashing to try to float, and the male kicked him away, paddling awkwardly on the surface of the stream, watching the other male slowly sink and drown. Once the other's head went under the surface, he snorted and turned back, to swim to the bank where the pack and the female waited._

_A hand suddenly grabbed his ankle, and he screamed as he was dragged under, kicking as he turned to see what had him. To his surprise, Three-Scars held him, reaching forward to claw at the male's face. He managed to toss his head back in time to avoid the strike, and slashed back, losing his breath quickly. A kick to his stomach had him coughing up all his air, and he thrashed toward the surface, for his next breath. Three-Scars was dragged up with him, and their heads broke the surface at the same time, gasping for breath, choking on the water in their lungs._

_Recovering faster, Three-Scars snarled and lashed his claws toward the male, who ducked to avoid them, trying to pull away from the killing weight attached to him. The other male refused to let go, realizing his source of life at the moment, and lunged forward once more, snapping his teeth toward the male's throat._

_As they were dragged downstream by the current, the pack followed on the banks, the female leaping into the river and paddling toward them, screeching furiously. The male slashed at Three-Scars' face, adding five more lines and tearing out his left eye, barely missing the other. Three-Scars screamed and released him, immediately sinking under the surface, and the male turned to see a tree half-submerged in the river swiftly approaching._

_He managed to catch it before a branch impaled him, and he turned to see Three-Scars dragging himself up on the branches as well, screaming and coughing, turning hate-filled eyes to look at the male._

_The male wanted to scream in fury at Three-Scars refusal to die. Said male leaped for the male, not noticing how his kick dislodged the tree further from its hold on the bank, making it sink more and increasing the current's grip on it._

_The male rolled to the side to avoid the strike, turning and snarling, motions loosening the platform even further. The female shrieked a warning, still swimming toward them, but it was unheard in the fury of the fight, lost in the haze of aggression. He leaped for Three-Scars, colliding harshly with him, and the tree's sudden rocking threw them both back into the river, both yelping in shock, hanging onto the branches to keep from being swept downstream._

_The male glanced at the bank and let go, swimming strongly for the bank, and Three-Scars screamed, pulling at the branches to pull himself up and jump to join the male on the bank. There was a cracking sound, followed by a sudden scream, and the male whirled around to see the tree roll over the other male, branches cutting his body to pieces and dragging him downriver, to drown as he bled to death. In a short moment, he was gone, tree buried beneath the surface of the water with only a few bubbles to ever tell of its existence._

_The male remained still for a moment, stunned, then groaned and paddled for the bank, fighting the current. Surprising him, the female came up beside him, and she grabbed his coverings and helped him to the bank, where he climbed out and fell in a heap of exhausted and cold being._

_No-Fangs screamed and leaped for him, but before the male could respond to the new threat the female howled and met him in his leap, burying her fangs deep in the side of his neck and clawing at his stomach. He fell to the ground and struggled free of the screaming fury latched to him, running away yelping, vanishing into the forest. The female screamed and took a step after him, but turned back to the male and helped him to his feet, whining and whimpering as he rose._

_He looked up and saw Sharp-Scratch, Strong-Bite, and the new male staring at him with stunned expressions, then they lowered themselves to the ground and approached him, whining with submissiveness and crawling on their bellies. The female screeched at them, crouching to jump, but the male butted his head against her shoulder, whining and telling her it was alright._

_She hesitated a moment, but snarled sharply and let them approach, though she made it clear she wasn't happy. Keeping a close eye on her, Sharp-Scratch reached up and licked the male under his chin, accepting his leadership, and Strong-Bite and the new male followed, who the male instantly dubbed Limp-Stride, on account of the fact that he walked with a limp on his front right leg. He regarded them a moment, then growled and grabbed their throats in his teeth, shaking briefly before releasing, showing who was dominant._

_They whimpered as he did so, highly aware that he could choose to rip out their throats, but yipped happily when he was done, barking and turning to lead him back to the nest site. He paused for a moment, regaining his strength, and the female turned and licked his cheek, whimper-growling._

_He crooned happily, shutting his eyes, then nudged her and stood, walking stiffly after his pack. She snorted, sniffing the air for a moment, but followed, walking beside him as they followed the three other males._

_Despite his wounds, he realized he was happy._

~X~

I hissed uncomfortably when I realized the three males were staring at me again, glaring at them to make them look away. They seemed amazed that I was female, and already one had come up to me, walking oddly, only to have the male growl him away. He had run back to join the other three, and this was the third time in a short while I had caught them staring. It was infuriating.

One walked with a limp on his front right leg, and had a blue top-covering and gray bottom-covering. To tell him apart from the others I called him Limp in my mind, and it seemed to fit him. He was extremely submissive, and often only a glance in his direction was enough to make him look away. Out of the three, I liked him best, if only for the fact that he didn't bother me as much.

One of the others seemed to investigate everything with his claws, always scratching at something experimentally to see if it would fight back. His claws were long and thin, odd compared to my own thick ones, but sharper than mine. His top-covering was black with a strange design on the back, and his bottom-covering was bright green. He had the remaining tatters of foot coverings still tied around his ankles, and they were a black-and-green combination. A thick chain was around his neck, hanging loose by only a few links, and dull silver in color. In my mind I called him Scratch, because he scratched everything.

The last one wore a dark red top-covering, similar to the color of blood, and a black bottom-covering. He had a habit of chewing on old bones, cracking them between his jaws and licking at the insides, gnawing them until they were nothing but splinters. I realized he had his own nest separate from the rest of the pack because of this, because these splinters littered his nest and buried themselves into the skin of anyone unfortunate enough to step on them. He seemed to not have this problem, but the rest of the pack avoided his area like there was a Crier there. I immediately dubbed him Bone, and his personality seemed to match his collection of skeletons: Gruff and only wanting to be left alone.

Seeing they had stopped looking at me again, I laid my head back down on the sleeping male, closing my own eyes. I was too tense to sleep after the fight, but I could still lay with him. He seemed to need it, body cold.

I didn't understand the fight too well, only understanding that by killing the one with three scars on his face, the male had gained control of the pack. However, they seemed to recognize him and know him, and Scratch had seemed particularly happy to see him, bounding around the male as the pack had led us to the nesting place. The male didn't seem to mind either, growling happily to him, and I wondered what I was missing.

Turning my gaze to look at Scratch, I caught him as he was looking back in my direction, and he yelped as he ducked his head away. I bared my teeth for a moment, then studied him, noticing his easy-going and playful nature, and his mid-length black hair. He fidgeted under my gaze, like he was incapable of remaining still for any length of time. He flicked his eyes back to me for a second, then ducked his head and glanced away again, shifting his hands underneath him. Limp whined at him for a moment, clearly impatient, and Scratch snarled back, making Limp flinch away. It was clear who was dominant between those two.

I flicked my eyes for a moment to Bone, who was watching me from the corner of his eye. Where was he in the pack?

Bone bared his teeth at my look, and I hissed back, shifting to attack. He immediately backed down, ducking his head so he was hidden by his hood and short bronze-colored hair. I growled, and he whined and turned away, submitting. On the other side of the nest Scratch hissed at him, and Bones looked up and snarled back, making the other flinch and look away. I growled at both of them, and they cringed and looked at me. A sharp motion sent both their heads down, and for a moment the nest was silent as we measured each other, weighing each other in our minds.

Then, with a snort, Bones turned away, going back to gnawing on a rib, and Scratch relaxed as well, laying his head back down on his claws. I watched for a moment, then yawned and put my head down to sleep, tired.

Even in his sleep, the male still grabbed me and held me. I purred.

~X~

**'Major Greensley, I see you're recovering from your limp.'**

**'Yes ma'am.'**

**'So, now that you know I don't make empty threats, where is my female? It's been almost two weeks now, and I still don't see her.'**

**'We've been searching all of Florida, ma'am. We haven't seen the slightest trace of her.'**

**'Hmm, and I thought she would head back to her old area. Do you think maybe she and the male stuck together after their escape?'**

**'I don't know, ma'am.'**

**'Is there anything you know? Where did you find the male?'**

**'Northern Vermont, ma'am.'**

**'Start searching there. If they haven't gone to the female's old home, then maybe they went to the male's. Well? What are you waiting for?'**

**'Sorry ma'am. I'll send out troops immediately.'**

**'Good, you're learning. And remember, Greensley, I want her alive. As in heart beating, lungs breathing, and limbs moving. Now, go find her, and I'll see about getting your leg fixed. Wow, the general sure did a good job, didn't he?'**

**-**

_**A/N: I give you the pack! To clarify, Sharp-Scratch is Scratch, and has a black hoodie with a white skull on the back with neon-green sweats, the remains of his sneakers still tied around his ankles and a thick silver chain choker around his neck. Strong-Bite is Bones, and has a dark red hoodie with black sweats. Limp-Stride is Limp, and has a blue hoodie and gray sweats. I have to say, my favorite is Sharp-Scratch/Scratch, if you couldn't tell. He kinda reminds me of a happy-go-lucky dog.**_

_**Three-Scars was basically a bully, which was why he wasn't a very strong fighter. He was big, which made other Hunters hesitant to attack him, and he used that to his advantage to rule the rest of the pack. No-Fangs was a coward, and attacked our male after the fight because he was taking advantage of his weakness. Thank god for our little female, eh? He'll hesitate to do that again!**_

_**Alright, today was my last day of school, so I won't really have internet during the weak. I will, however, have more time to type, so maybe this story will be done soon. I have one more place I want to send them- scratch that, two- and I'll come up with an ending. Still not quite sure how I want to end it, but oh well. You guys can deal with whatever my mind vomits.**_

_**I will be drawing the pack, since my initial drawing of the male and female turned out like crap. Ugh, it was quite ugly, and I'm not even going to finish it. But I will be drawing the pack, all five of them, so I should have a link up next chapter!**_

_**Alright, see ya'!**_

_**…..I have really long author's notes, don't I?**_


	9. Falling Rain

_Five shadows slid through the night, circling their unknowing prey. The pack communicated with each other through exaggerated motions, a dipping head, a waving claw, a jerking shoulder. They were completely silent, in order to keep their target unaware of their presence. It was too dangerous to be known._

_Two shadows appeared to lead the pack, odd since they were the smallest. Yet each of the other members deferred to them, keeping their heads lower, flinching away when they bared their teeth. The smallest seemed to be the most dominant, and each made sure to keep away from her ill-tempered claws and teeth. Any outsider would have been puzzled by this strange hierarchy, but no outsiders dared enter the territory. This belonged to the Pack, and they risked the Pack's fury if they dared trespass._

_A large male had to work especially hard to conceal himself, vivid green coverings almost glowing in the night. Even with years of blood and dirt rubbed into the fabric, they still maintained their bright coloration. A chain was around his neck, loose only by a few links, and shredded leather tied around his ankles were all that remained of his foot coverings. His main covering had a strange design on it their minds couldn't comprehend, but it was one his warped mind knew had special meaning for him._

_The largest seemed to be the most distant of the lot, gruff and silent. His motions belayed how strong he really was, the sure movements that seemed almost graceful. His dark red coverings blended well into the night, a perfect camouflage for a perfect predator._

_A third was the most submissive of the pack, seeming to crawl as he walked. He moved with a permanent limp on his right arm, giving breathless whimpers whenever another member happened to glance at him. The rest of the pack treated him with distaste, disgusted by his submissiveness. He withstood all the abuse, never retaliating, and was often the last one noticed at sight of the Pack._

_The two leaders had bodies littered with scars, and a wariness that didn't seem to belong with their aggressive attitude. They were constantly looking back over their shoulders, flinching at every strange sound, especially those of metal striking metal. The larger of the two's face was covered with scars, warping his features until he appeared permanently snarling and furious. His claws seemed oddly short and neat, like they had been clipped even, and his coverings didn't have nearly the same amount of blood on them as the rest of the pack. They seemed almost new._

_The female had a look that spoke of different origins, like she had traveled far from her home territory. Indeed, most of the time she had to cover her hands and face, shivering as if she were unused to the climate she found herself in. Every member of the Pack ducked their heads to her, all except the leader-male flinching when she bared her teeth. He seemed mildly amused when she did this, and while he made sure to keep his head lower, he was unafraid to approach her, to lick her jaw playfully. And while she snapped her teeth at him whenever he did this, her eyes had a playful light in them. It was obvious they knew each other well._

_At the moment, the target of the Pack's hunt slept fitfully in the middle of the hardpath, a twitching mass of muscle that few would dare to even go near. But the Pack had recently had their leader replaced, and in order to cement the position, they had to lead a successful hunt. They could have chosen a herd-sick-one for their hunt, but they had chosen the angry one. The male Limp-Stride seemed hesitant to approach the prey, but listened to the leader's orders. As they moved into position, silent and hidden, the night went quiet, as if it knew what was about to happen. The screams and screeches stilled, and the bugs quieted themselves._

_Then, with a single bark, the hunt was on._

~X~

I watched as Scratch moved forward at the male's bark, observing him as he approached the sleeping angry one. He was going to be bait, distracting the angry one while we attacked. I understood the angry ones' simple-mindedness well, and knew they would ignore other attackers if their first was still alive. Even though all Scratch had to do was evade the angry one's attacks, he still had the most dangerous job. If it grabbed him, he would be crushed.

He slid forward, instantly serious, joking and playful manner completely forgotten as he began his hunt. His bright green bottom covering glowed brightly in the moonlight, and I suddenly understood why he was chosen as bait. While our dark coverings kept us hidden, he stood out –_like a sore thumb_. Wait, strange thought. What did it mean?

Shaking my head, I ignored the flash of memory from _before_, returning my focus to the hunt. Any mistake and the pack could suffer. While I didn't trust them as much as I did the male, I had grown attached to them swiftly in the day since the male had taken over leadership. I knew to avoid Bones when he was chewing on his skeletons, learned that Scratch loved to play, that Limp was disgustingly weak. This hunt would completely cement the bonds between us, I knew. Then we would be Pack.

I shifted uneasily. Pack was a strange concept to me. While I welcomed the thought of being safe, not being hunted, I was still uncertain of being surrounded by males. I knew the male would protect me if needed, but I didn't want to have to depend on that. I wanted to be strong.

I twitched as the shadows next to me appeared to move, beginning to hiss, but stilled when I realized it was just the male sliding from his hiding place. I blinked at him, somewhat amazed that he was able to move so smoothly despite his size, and the word _Shadow_ ran through my mind.

I contemplated for a second, tilting my head, then snorted softly. The male was now Shadow to me. It seemed to fit him, always behind me when I needed, yet never interfering. It worked well.

Shaking my head, I brought myself back to the hunt, sliding forward alongside Shadow. He turned to glance at me, tilting his head in question, and I grinned back. After escaping the hurting-place, what was an angry one?

Scratch suddenly sprinted forward, and time seemed to move faster.

A screaming, bright green blur flew through the air and landed on the back of the angry one, screeching and clawing at its thick hide, leaving gaping slashes that oozed blood. The angry one woke with a roar of pain, thrashing at whatever was attacking it, and Scratch leaped off, landing facing it and hissing, taunting it into following. It took a few seconds for the angry one to comprehend, but as soon as he saw the growling Scratch he roared and began chasing him, ground shaking beneath his feet. As Scratch began to evade the angry one's hits, the rest of us moved forward, unleashing hunting screams of our own.

Bones was the first to meet the angry one, slamming into it with enough force to make it stumble off-balance. He immediately began clawing and biting at the spine, trying to get to it through the thick layers of muscle and skin. Shadow landed a second before I did, and we both began tearing at it, trying to make it bleed so it would die. Limp was the last, leaping up almost hesitantly and weakly scratching at the angry one. If I hadn't been busy, I would have clawed him for his cowardice, but I had to ignore it to continue my own attacks.

Scratch's sudden scream split the air, and I looked up to see him being thrown across the hardpath, trying to regain his feet before the angry one caught him. Hissing, I dropped down, followed by Shadow, and we both began biting and clawing at the angry one's feet, trying to slow it before it reached our fallen packmate. Bones remained attached to its back, still digging through the layers of muscle to reach the spine, to bite through it and kill it. His jaws snapped through gristle and tendon, claws tearing apart muscle, and we could see the angry one weakening slightly. Not enough, though, and we were hard-pressed to keep the angry one from reaching Scratch.

Coming back to his senses, he yelped and scrambled to his feet, barely avoiding a blow from the angry one's fist. Running to get out of range, he sprinted into the forest, and the hulking behemoth followed close at his heals, his enraged grunts and roars echoing through the trees. I leaped up into the branches while Shadow and Limp raced along the ground, watching for an opportunity to attack and slow it. I could hear Scratch gasping for breath, his steps irregular as he began to stumble, and knew I would have to attack soon, opening or no. Scratch would be killed.

Bones shrieked as he pulled at a tendon, and the angry one spasmed, collapsing onto the ground and stiffening. Screaming in response, I leaped down, claws burying themselves deep into the flesh of the throat, tearing, blood spilling over me, soaking me to my skin. Shadow joined me, clawing the face and blinding it, though I could tell it wasn't getting up again. A dull snap from Bones, and the body slumped, though its breath still gasped. Scratch walked up, hissing, and lashed at the neck, opening five furrows that spilled blood.

We ate while it still breathed, the great heart pumping blood onto us as it died. Dragging the entrails out, we burrowed into its stomach, a deep, warm, damp cave that we devoured from the inside out. We used the ribs as walls, fighting amongst each other to fit in, the space too small for all of us. Shadow chased the other three away, leaving the cavern for us, and his hot tongue lapped at the blood on the back of my neck.

Still caught up in the hunt as I was, I growled and pinned him to the ground playfully, gently biting at his throat, feeling his body tense underneath me. He gave a purring growl, lunging forward to rub his face against mine. Outside the living cavern, the rest of the pack whined and growled, Scratch ducking his head in to watch us, whimpering. Shadow snarled and lashed at him from underneath me, and he yelped and pulled back, scrambling away. Satisfied he was gone, the male turned back and sniffed at my neck, purring, and I licked the top of his head in return. Wiggling out from underneath me, Shadow butted his head against my shoulder briefly before continuing eating, tearing strips from the inside of the ribs. The giant heart beat one last time before it fell silent, and we barked laughter.

The hunt was finished.

~X~

_Shadow watched proudly as his female screeched at Limp-Stride for approaching her, scaring him away. The male yelped and scrambled backwards, knocking into Sharp-Scratch, who hissed and slashed at him with his claws. Finally running away, Limp-Stride stayed at the edge of the kill-site, whimpering as he watched the remainder of the pack. The female hissed at the constant whining, but otherwise ignored it, flopping down on the ground next to Shadow._

_The pack had stayed at the kill-site for three days, stripping the carcass clean of anything edible. Strong-Bite had already destroyed half the rib cage, and was gnawing on another, growling softly to himself. Sharp-Scratch entertained himself by throwing vertebrae around, catching them before they hit the ground and throwing them up again. Shadow considered joining him, but at the moment the female laying next to him was more tempting, and he buried his nose in her hair, smiling softly as he smelled her._

_She purred and flopped onto her side, leaning against him as she fell asleep. Sharp-Scratch looked over at them and whined, a longing tone in his voice, and Shadow bared his teeth in warning, making him look away. The female might not be his mate, but he wouldn't let any of the other males court her. She was his._

_Setting his head down again, he dozed off, watching Strong-Bite chew on his rib, breaking it into pieces with sharp cracking sounds. The female twitched in her sleep with each one, and he smiled sleepily in amusement. She was different than any other sick one he had met. She had a twisted sense of humor, she loved to play, she wouldn't hesitate to lay against him to sleep, and she made an excellent hunting partner. While she was small, she had a ferocious attitude, and he knew she could easily defend herself. He knew a word for her, a word from Before. There was a word that he had often used that described her, if he could just remember it…._

_Spitfire! She was Spitfire! He had often used it before for things like her. It fit her perfectly!_

_Giving a sudden loud purr, he nuzzled the back of her neck, waking her slightly. She lifted her head and gave a tired growl, and he crooned back, soothing her back to sleep. She looked around for a few more moments, then softly snorted and laid down again. Shadow grinned again, then copied her, holding her tightly. She was his Spitfire._

_And death to any that try to take her away from him._

~X~

I sniffed the air, feeling Shadow do the same beside me. It had taken us three days to finish eating our prey, and the pack was getting bored with the same location. Any entertainment in the area was exhausted, and Scratch had taken to purposely annoying Shadow just for the break in the tedium. While Shadow knew what he was doing, he couldn't resist the urge to snap and claw at him, and the resulting spats lasted only a few short minutes before Scratch broke away, screeching, new wounds bleeding onto the ground.

Yawning, I rose and shook, blood-heavy coverings chafing against my skin pleasantly. Within a short amount of time, I had been able to regain the scent of rot that I had previously earned. It was much easier to hunt with a pack than alone, and I knew that soon I would be able to return to my earlier healthy weight.

Sniffing the air, I bared my teeth in a grimace as I read the smells and began moving. Within moments, Shadow was at my side, Scratch and Limp close behind, and Bones grumbled as he gathered the few remaining ribs and brought up the rear. I hid a grin at how quickly the pack had responded to my motion. It didn't take them long to learn who was truly Alpha, and none of them would dare disobey me. With the exception of Shadow, but I could tolerate his advances.

Tilting my head, I studied the male thoughtfully, wondering exactly why I could tolerate him but not the others. He returned my glance, looking puzzled, and I snorted and turned away, studiously looking at the ground in front of me. From the corner of my vision, I saw the male grin to himself, and I had to restrain the urge to claw the look from his face. Stupid creature.

With a snort, he shuffled closer and butted his shoulder against mine, and even as I snarled at him I couldn't stop the grin from breaking across my face. He smiled back, tongue poking out slightly between his teeth, and I barked a laugh at the ridiculousness of the expression. His face slipped slightly at the laughter, a slight wine building in his throat, and I rolled my eyes as I nudged his shoulder to assure him. He sneezed, and then the moment was lost as Scratch shoved his way between us, attempting to give me the bird in his mouth.

I pulled back, shrieking furiously and baring my teeth, and the male snapped at Scratch as he yelped and ran backwards, tripping over his own feet in his attempt to get away. I arched my back and hissed as Shadow chased Scratch into the foliage, a short screech following a crashing sound before Shadow stalked back out, growling angrily, fresh blood staining his claws. A few seconds later, Scratch followed, head and body low, eyes cast downwards. As he passed by me, I hissed and lashed a claw towards his shoulder, snarling in satisfaction when he didn't attempt to avoid the hit and met the gash with nothing more than a wince and yelp. Good, he knew when he did something that was wrong.

Ignoring Scratch as soon as he passed behind Bones, I settled to my feet and began walking again, happy mood gone. Shadow shuffled beside me, grumbling under his breath, and Limp whimpered at the tension between the two males. His high-pitched whines set me on edge, and I turned around and snapped at his face, shutting off the sounds immediately. Glaring at each member individually, I sent each a silent warning before turning to walk once more, shoulders hunched and motions stiff. Pack they may be, but they never seemed to stop with the annoyances.

It didn't take us long to reach our main den, the old, dilapidated construction deep in the woods, where the wind howled through the cracks in the walls and the floor was chill. I would have preferred digging out a cave into the warm earth, but the males seemed to prefer this location. I couldn't understand why. The walls were weak, blocked no sound, barely protected from the cold and certainly didn't stop the rain. Maybe once the ground was soft again I could dig out my own den. Shadow could join me if he chose. The others I could care less about.

I paused, one foot partially lifted into the air, listening intently. The others caught on quickly and froze, heads tilting to better triangulate the sound, and one by one our heads slowly turned south-east. There was a strange chopping noise in the air, as if we were listening to it while shaking our heads. Shadow and I met glances, then as one began loping west, away from our den. Scratch and Limp whined, glancing north, then followed as obediently as Bones. The noise gained on us swiftly, losing the muffling the trees provided for it. Shadow and I glanced at each other once more and lunged into sprints, leaping into the trees with the rest of the pack at our tails. Bones made a tense noise, the only sign he gave of his nervousness, and suddenly the noise was above our heads and the forest was filled with blinding light.

We screamed in a mixture of defiance and fear, crouching together and trying to see through the searing whiteness. The chopping noise was deafening, until you couldn't even hear yourself panic.

Popping noises exploded underneath the chopping, and sharp darts filled the forest, raining through the branches and burying themselves into our flesh. Shadow and I screamed and leaped to the ground, yanking the needles from our flesh, feeling our heads already begin to swim. Limp crashed to the ground beside us, twitching feebly, and Scratch yowled as he fell to the ground beside us and stumbled to his feet. I hissed and snatched a dart from the flesh of his neck, and he got the hint, yanking them from his arms and back. Above us, Bones growled deep, bristling as he stared above the treetops, legs tensing as he prepared to leap.

My vision swam, and I lashed my claws across Limp's face, waking him with a screech and scramble of limbs. I stumbled and Shadow bit my shoulder sharply, rousing me from my muddled state. I shook my head and stumbled forward a step, then screamed loudly, drawing Bones' attention. I started running, and he dropped the ground beside me, landing heavily, an elbow bending slightly in a slight sign of weakness. I looked at him sharply and bared my teeth at the sight of his back, layered thick with the darts. I reached to begin pulling them out and he snapped his head in my direction, snarling silently in a warning that I took.

Shadow whimpered, leaning heavily to one side, and I leaned against him, squinting my eyes through the trees, looking for any way out. The lights made it impossible to see anything but shadows, though, and while the darts had stopped, I could still feel them coursing through my veins, trying to make me lay down and sleep. But I would not go back to the hurting-place. Never would I return, as long as there was air in my lungs.

Bones snapped his head sharply to the left, hissing, then lunged, pushing off a branch and vanishing into the bright lights. Over the chopping noises there was a sharp scream, from the throat of an unsick creature, and the chopping noise suddenly grew sharper as the some of the lights veered off. Scratch slowly followed with his eyes, growling low, then leaped up as well, vanishing towards another source of lights. More screams were followed by more lights vanishing, and there was an explosion of heat and sound from the direction Bones had leaped. Shadow's legs gave out suddenly, sending him to the ground, and I watched him, torn, before leaping up as well.

The lights grew brighter, so bright I had to close my eyes and reach out blindly, claws searching for flesh or bark. Then I was past the lights and I could open my eyes, seeing nothing but a blur until they focused and I saw the shell of metal and clear-stuff, saw the unsick creatures within. I landed with a sharp slam, scrabbling briefly, then slowly slid my lips back from my teeth, claws twitching scratches into the clear-stuff beneath me. The unsick creatures swallowed, eyes widened in fear, and I could see their pulses leaping beneath their throats.

My arm crashed through the clear-stuff, shards sticking in my flesh but ignored, and I pushed the rest of the way through, watching the scramble of the creatures within. My hand pushed against a stick, moving it, and the metal-thing suddenly dipped. An unsick creature darted forward, grabbing the stick from underneath my hand and moving it in another direction, and suddenly there we were, faces inches apart, each observing the other with different types of curiosity.

For a moment we were still, and I tilted my head, making a sound low in my throat. He swallowed, making a gulping noise in the back of his mouth, and I leaned forward, sniffing along his face, scenting his fear. Tiny beads of sweat leaked from the pores of his face, creating a small rivulet that traveled downwards towards his chin. I flicked my tongue out, tasting the musty liquid, and began growling, a quiet, rumbling noise that transmitted easily to his ears. His face paled, and I could hear his pulse skip, heart fluttering like a panicked bird in his rib cage. My lips pulled back, baring my fangs to his face, and he blinked once, eyes locked on them. He made a whimpering sound, and I paused, slowly blinking as well.

Why were they so similar to us? Why were they the unsick? Did that make us the sick? I didn't feel sick. I felt strong. I was secure in my strength, knew I was a strong hunter, acceptable fighter. They were the weak ones, hiding behind their clever things. What made them the unsick?

My snarl built low in my throat, unsounded, and then suddenly I screamed, the sound tearing at my vocal cords, echoing in the small container. The unsick creature paled, and there was a loud bang, louder than even my own scream, something pinging off the metal behind me and striking into the forehead of the unsick creature before me. I ducked automatically, hissing as the metal-thing lurched, lights blinking and screaming on the surface below me. There was another flash of light and sound to my right, and I knew what had happened, that Scratch had destroyed one of these metal insects. I eyed the stick, observing the humans scrambling to find a grip in the belly of the thing, then snarled and shoved it away from me, pushing myself back out the way I came immediately afterwards.

The swirling metal threw me away, and I tumbled through the air, unable to tell which way was up. Then I collided with a tree, falling through the snapping branches, and hit the ground, head full of gray and bits of buzzing white. There was the muted sound of a panicked scream, and I felt a touch on my face, dull, as if coated with a layer of mud. My vision cleared, and I could see the face of the male, my Shadow, leaning over me with the wide eyes of panic and screams of terror. My eyes rolled away, and I could see Bones dragging Scratch clear of the flames, though there was something wrong with his head that I couldn't see, though I knew he shouldn't be alive, let alone walking. Limp cowered underneath a fallen oak, and above him the lights moved in a frenzy, one last metal-thing twisting and flying away, moving swiftly. I looked at the male once more, tried to move myself to assure him I was alright, but my eyes rolled back and everything faded away.

_**A/N: So….. it's been a year? You guys have no idea how sorry I am about that, but, well, life's been… um, life. New job, busier-than-ever semesters at the college, living with my slowly-going-senile grandparents that I swear I'm baby-sitting (don't get me wrong, I do love them so, so much).**_

_**Anyways, I do hope this chapter more than makes up for the long wait. Even if I did leave a cliff-hanger. Yet again. I have a bad habit of those, but they make life so much more fun. And more tempting for me to continue, because it's difficult to write from a dead-end. Never doing that to myself again, I swear.**_

_**Also, yes, I was watching The Dark Knight while writing the last bit. Helicopters falling from the sky are a lot of fun.**_

_**I tried to match writing styles from what I've been using, but it's difficult when you stop speaking with one voice for over a year. I'm sure you guys will be able to pick up where I started again a year later, and I hope you guys don't mind the change too much. I've been a bit more descriptive in my writing lately, which makes for a bit slower read but allows me to give subtle hints that leave the ending going "WHAAAAT?" I love those endings, so I'll try to give one to you guys.**_

_**Anyways, I am again very sorry for the wait, I did read every one of your reviews even if I didn't respond to them, and I will try to write more for this more often. Thank you for being so, so patient with me.**_

_**(Also, I'm going to be posting my character bios for each of these guys under one big document. If you want to read, go right ahead, though there may be spoilers for future reading. Shouldn't be anything big, though.)**_


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